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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Thomas Hardy
British Army 2nd Btn. Border Regiment
from:Cumbria
My grandfather Thomas Hardy joined The Border Regiment during 1914 aged 41. Grandfather served with the second battalion and saw service during the First battle of Ypres in 1914, the Gallipoli landings, where his brother in law Joe Davidson was killed. I have little information of where he fought between Gallipoli and the Somme where he was wounded on the first day. It seems that he was sent to the 13 field hospital, his medical card showed that he was lightly wounded in the left ankle due to gunshot wounds. This proved to somewhat of an understatement, that light wound was in fact 14 bullets below the knee and resulted in the amputation of his leg. Thus finished granddad's experience of WW1 but not his experience of war.
Thomas Hardy had nine sons who all but one went to war during WW2, son Bobby was too young. My father Pte Walter Davidson Hardy, The Border Regiment captured during Dunkirk released from Stalag XX1 during 1945. Sgt Frank Hardy The Manchester Regiment killed at Dunkirk. Cpl Fred Hardy The Border Regiment wounded at Dunkirk. Capt Joe Hardy The Border Regiment gained a M C at Arnhem. L/Cpl Ron Hardy Royal Engineers landed in France D day + 3 served NW Europe. Bombardier Ernest Hardy Royal Artillery served at Dunkirk, Malta and Gibralta. L/Cpl Jack Hardy Royal Marines 16 years old served in Iceland and N Africa, joined the Commandos and served in Sicily, Italy and Malta, wounded on D Day then served in Europe. Alan Hardy served in the merchant navy was torpedoed 3 times and survived.
Grandfather Hardy must have suffered mental torture during WW2 having eight sons fighting in various parts of the world, he saw seven of those sons return. One incident that has been recorded is that during WW2 grandmother went to some army barracks where one of her sons was stationed, she asked a rather proud and superior sounding 2nd Lt. If her son could have some time off to attend to urgent family business, his reply was " madame are you aware that there is a war on? " he got his reply in a rather sharp tone " Yes I am aware, my other seven sons write to me from various areas of conflict " My uncle was given the time off without further fuss.
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