No.204471, Private, Charles HARDY
Aged 38
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Charles Hardy was born in Normanton, Derbyshire (Shardlow Q2-1880 7B:476), baptised at St Giles, Normanton by Derby on 6th June 1880 son of Arthur and Mary Ann HARDY
(née GAME).
1881 census...Aged 1, he was at Farnell, Glemsford, Suffolk with his father Arthur HARDY [40] farm labourer born Whepstead, Suffolk; his mother Mary Ann [29] born Cockfield, Suffolk; sister Emily M.A. [5] born Pembroke, Wales and brother Walter [3] born in Aldershot, Hampshire. His father had been a private in the 54th Regiment of Foot, hence the much travelled young family, and was at Normanton Barracks when Charles was born. 1891 census...Aged 10, he was at Newnham, Burwell with his parents and brothers Walter (farm labourer), Arthur [8] born Glemsford, William [6], Herbert [3] and Alfred [10 months], the youngest three all born in Burwell. 1901 census...Aged 20, a labourer, he was still at Newnham, Burwell with his parents, brothers Arthur, William and Herbert, all labourers, Alfred and a sister Eva, born in Burwell. On 2nd April 1904 he married Alethea PALMBY in Burwell. 1911 census...Aged 30, a labourer, he was at Backway, Burwell with his wife Alethea [26] born Wicken, and daughter Alice Dorothy [6] and son John William [5], both born and baptised in Burwell. The pension card records his wife dying on 15-1-1912 and the guardian of his children as Eliza PALMBY (their grandmother), still in Newnham, Burwell. Alice Dorothy was born 16-5-1904 and John William on 19-7-1905. His son, John William, was killed in Belgium in 1940 serving in the Suffolk Regiment. see here |
| Enlisted in Newmarket.
There is a comprehensive website by Steven Fuller covering the Bedfordshire Regiment, http://www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/biographies/biographies.html this is an extract from the war diary of the 2nd Battalion:- 30 Aug 1918 - trenches near Combles On the morning of 30th an unsuccessful attempt was made to capture the SUNKEN ROAD running from T.16.d.8.5 to T.22.d.8.5. but as a result other line was advanced & run along the SUNKEN ROAD T.16.d.3.7 to T.22.b.4.1 & thence S. through the E. end of COMBLES. Enemy artillery was very active throughout the day and no counter-battery work was practised by our batteries. The whole forward area was strongly searched all day with all calibres. We suffered a large number of casualties in the front line as a result. At Dusk the following dispositions were taken up: - "D" Coy. Railway Cutting & Trench in T.22.a.square with liaison post about T.16.c.5.3. "A" Coy. Trench in T.22.c.square with advanced Platoon in SUNKEN RD. T.22.c.8.0. - T.22.c.8.5. "B" Coy. About T.28.d.4.8. with advanced posts about T.28.b.8.3. "C" Coy. Trench line T.27.b.5.3. to T.28.c.0.0. S.O.S. Line after 8 pm will be - T.16.d.0.2. - T.22.b.4.0. - T.22.d.8.0. - T.29.a.0.7. (Ref.Map Sheet 62.c.N.W. & 57.c.S.W.) Casualties: - 2/Lieut.A.D. Greenwood [Arthur Donald GREENWWOD] Killed in Action, Captain P.J.Reiss MC MM [Phillip Julius REISS, MC & Bar, MM] Wounded remaining at duty 9 O.R. Killed in Action 32 O.R. Wounded 5 O.R. Missing. |
The green line is the one after 8 pm as mentioned above
The Sunken Road is now the railway line running N-S between the green line and the A1 motorway
photo: Rodney Gibson
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details