Name
Henry Victor Fardell
28 August 1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
17/08/1918
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Corporal
10699
Bedfordshire Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
SARRALBE MILITARY CEMETERY
D.23
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Benington War Memorial, St Peter's Church Memorial, Benington, St. Peter’s Church Roll of Honour Benington, St Mary the Virgin Church, Therfield, Non-conformist Chapel, Therfield, We are not aware of any memorial in Reed End
Pre War
Henry Victor Fardell was born on 28 August 1894 in the village/hamlet of Reed End, Therfield, Hertfordshire, the son of Henry and Alice Fardell, and was baptised at St Mary's Church, Therfield on 28 October 1894.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Reed End, Therfield where his father Harry (66) was an agricultural worker, with his wife Alice (37) and children Violet (13) Irene (10), Henry Victor (6), Joseph (3) and Harold (1).
The family were living in Mount Pleasant, Reed End in 1911. They were joined by another daughter Doris (8) and granddaughter Millicent (4) was also living with them. Henry was then working as a 16 year old bricklayer’s labourer.
His connection with the village of Benington has not been established but it is believed that he may have worked in the area.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Hertford and joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, initially serving with the 6th Battalion and arrived in France on 30 July 1915. At some point he was promoted to Corporal.
It is known that Henry transferred to the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment possibly when a 1000 officers and men were transferred to this newly formed Battalion of the Second New Army and were attached to the 5th (Scottish) Division whilst training. On 25 February 1915, the Battalion was moved into the 54th Brigade of the 18th (Eastern) Division, where they remained until merged with the 2nd Battalion in May 1918.
The 7th Battalion was engaged in the following major battles throughout the war: In 1916, they were heavily engaged during The Battles of the Somme 1916, specifically at the Battle of Albert (including the storming of the Pommiers Redoubt on the 1 July 1916), the Battle of Bazentin (when the Division captured Trones Wood 14 July 1916), the Battle of Thiepval in September (including the storming of the northern section of Thiepval village and the front face of the Schwaben Redoubt on the 28 and 29 September 1916). The battalion was also involved during the Battle of the Ancre in November, albeit in a supporting role.
In 1917 they were again heavily engaged all year. The first operations were during the Operations on the Ancre, including the Actions of Miraumont in February and the Capture or Irles (on the Loupart Line) in March. Next, they were engaged in following up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line in March, including the storming of Achiet-le-Grand between the 15 and 20 March 1917. In May they were also engaged in the Battle of Arras, namely at the Third Battle of the Scarpe. The final battle of 1917 was to be the Battles of Ypres 1917 (also called the Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele), specifically in the Capture of Westhoek in August, the First Battle of Passchendaele in October.
In 1918 the battalion was heavily engaged yet again, in the First Battles of the Somme 1918 (also called the German Spring Offensives, "Operation Michael" or Kaiserschlacht), namely in the Battle of St Quentin, where it is believed he was taken prisoner on 21 March 1918.
It was later officially accepted that Henry died on 17 August 1918 whilst a prisoner of war in Germany. He died from what is described as "Cardiac Weakness" which often arose as the result of being malnourished. His Soldier's Will, dated 30 October 1917 stated that he was in the War Hospital at Meisenheim, Germany, and left all his worldly goods to his mother. He was originally buried in the Morhange Military Cemetery, Germany but at the end of the war in 1924, his remains and those of other servicemen buried in the cemetery, were exhumed and reburied in the Sarralbe Military Cemetery, Moselle, France.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £24 10s and pay owing of £20 17s 10d. She also received a pension of 5 shillings a week. In his Soldiers Will, he left all his possessions to his mother, Mrs Alice Fardell, of Mount Pleasant, Reed, near Royston, Hertfordshire.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Malcolm Lennox, Paul Johnson, Jean Handley, stevenageatwar.com
