Henry Tandey

Henry Tandey was born Henry James Tandy on 30 August 1891 in Leamington, Warwickshire. Enlisting in the British Army on 12 August 1910, he joined the Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), traditionally known as the Green Howards, and was assigned the service number 34506. Following pre-war postings in South Africa and Guernsey, Tandey deployed to the Western Front with the outbreak of the First World War. He endured the attrition of the conflict's major campaigns, fighting in the First Battle of Ypres in 1914, and sustaining wounds during both the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Passchendaele in November 1917.

In July 1918, Private Tandey was attached to the 5th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), a territorial infantry unit heavily engaged in the final Allied Hundred Days Offensive. Over a span of just six weeks, he exhibited an extraordinary concentration of battlefield gallantry. On 28 August 1918, during the Second Battle of Cambrai at Vaulx Vraucourt, he was placed in charge of a reserve bombing party; when his unit's advance was halted, he worked across open ground behind enemy lines, rushed a post, and captured twenty prisoners, earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). Less than a fortnight later, on 12 September, he was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for heroism at Havrincourt.

The culmination of his combat service occurred on 28 September 1918 during the assault on Marcoing. As the battalion attempted to secure vital canal crossings, Tandey crawled forward to single-handedly neutralise a machine-gun position, repaired a crucial plank bridge under direct fire, and later spearheaded a desperate bayonet charge when his small detachment was surrounded by superior numbers. Refusing evacuation despite being wounded twice, his actions successfully secured the position. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, receiving the decoration from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 17 December 1919. The full official citation for his Victoria Cross reads:

"For most conspicuous bravery and initiative during the capture of the village and the crossings at Marcoing, and the subsequent counter-attack on September 28th, 1918. When, during the advance on Marcoing, his platoon was held up by machine-gun fire, he at once crawled forward, located the machine gun, and, with a Lewis gun team, knocked it out. On arrival at the crossings he restored the plank bridge under a hail of bullets, thus enabling the first crossing to be made at this vital spot. Later in the evening, during an attack, he, with eight comrades, was surrounded by an overwhelming number of Germans, and though the position was apparently hopeless, he led a bayonet charge through them, fighting so fiercely that 37 of the enemy were driven into the hands of the remainder of his company. Although twice wounded, he refused to leave till the fight was won."

Discharged in March 1919, Tandey returned to civilian life for a single day before re-enlisting in the 3rd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment. He spent the post-war years on garrison duty in Gibraltar, Turkey, and Egypt, ultimately leaving the regular army in 1926. Returning to Warwickshire, he settled in Coventry, where he served as an Air Raid Warden during the devastating aerial bombardments of the Second World War, earning the Defence Medal. He remained in Coventry until his death on 20 December 1977.