Grosvenor George Hardy ( ) Francis Ernest Hardy ( )

Transcription

1 Grosvenor George Hardy ( ) Francis Ernest Hardy ( ) (A memorial card which commemorates Grosvenor) 18 Grosvenor Hardy was born in Aberdare, Glamorganshire. The son of Frank Hardy, a Brickworks Manager, he lived at 111 Bolton Road, Edgworth and worked as a Brick Yard Labourer. (1) He joined 1 st /5 th Battalion of the Welsh Regiment and was killed in action in the Egyptian Theatre on 26 March (15)

2 War Record Unfortunately there are very few records of Grosvenor s service but we know he enlisted in Pontypridd and served in the Welsh Regiment. What records there are refer to him as George and he appears on the medal roll with service numbers 2344 and (2). When soldiers have a four digit number, replaced by a six digit number, it is fairly certain that he had been in the Territorials prior to the outbreak of war. Grosvenor (George) first served overseas in The Balkans on 9 th August He was killed in action in the Egyptian Theatre on 26 th March 1917 and buried in the Jerusalem Cemetery which is 4.5 kilometres north of (15)(19) the walled city. He received the 1915, Victory and British Medals. (2) The Welsh Regiment - 1/5 th Battalion The Regiment was formed in Pontypridd in August 1914 and was formed from Territorial Soldiers (Saturday Night Soldiers). In November 1914 they moved to Tunbridge Wells then in February 1915 to the Forth and Tay defences in Scotland. In July 1915 they sailed from Devonport and landed at Suvla Bay in August 1915 where they engaged in various actions against the Turkish Army. In December 1915 they were evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt where they were involved in The Battle of Romani, The First, Second and Third Battles of Gaza, the Capture of Beersheba, the Capture of Tell Khuweilfe and the Defence of Jerusalem. (7) (20)

3 Family History Grosvenor Hardy was born in Glamorganshire in He was the son of Frank Hardy, a Brickworks Manager. Frank was born in Chesterfield and his wife, Alice, was born in Wolverhampton. Grosvenor was the eldest of six children. It is evident that the family moved around the country as the 1901 Census shows them living in Stacksteads, near Bacup, and their children were born in Wales, Clayton-le-Moors, Darwen and Bacup 1. Grosvenor was a member of the Choir at St James Hob Lane and played cricket for the Know Mill team. He is remembered on Saint Anne s Memorial, Turton and in the Welsh Book of Remembrance. Frank and Alice Hardy with Grosvenor and Francis (20) Father Frank Hardy b1860 Chesterfield Mother: Alice b1865 Wolverhampton Siblings Grosvenor b1888 Aberdare Francis b1892 Caerphilly Alice b1895 Darwen Lilian b1896 Clayton-le-Moors Frank William Ewart b1899 Bacup Edgar Algernon b1901 Bacup

4 Er Cof Perhaps very few people knew that Grosvenor (George) was also commemorated in the Welsh National Book of Remembrance. This book contains the names of 35,000 servicemen and women who lost their lives in the First World War and were either of Welsh parentage or fought in a Welsh Regiment. Grosvenor qualified on both counts. The names are listed by regiment and Battalion, so they may be with the names of the men who died alongside them. Each name has been individually written in calligraphy in this impressive volume. The gilding techniques are a revival of those used in the Middle Ages, turning the book into a work of art. Welsh Centre for International Affairs Herein are recorded the names of the men and women of Welsh birth and parentage and of all the men belonging to the Regiment of Wales who gave their lives in the war of AD More information about the Welsh Book of Remembrance can be found here: (22)

5 (22) Following a campaign in the Western Mail in the early 1920s, money was raised to build a Welsh National War Memorial. After much debate it was located in Cathays Park, Cardiff. No names are listed on the monument itself, therefore the committee decided that a roll of honour would be created, which became the Book of Remembrance. At the ceremony for the dedication of the memorial on 12 June 1928, the front page of the Book that contains the words Er Cof [In Memoriam] was signed by Edward, Prince of Wales The Book of Remembrance is kept in a specially constructed underground vault at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff. The building was opened on November 23, 1938 by Minnie James of Dowlais who represented the war-bereaved mothers of Wales - she had lost three sons in the war. In dedicating the building, Mrs James said: [it is] a constant reminder of the debt we owe to the millions who sacrificed their all in a great cause and as a symbol of our determination to strive for justice and peace. (

6 Reference: Panels (15)

7 Francis Ernest Hardy (30) Francis Ernest Hardy, Grosvenor s younger brother, was born in Caerphilly, Glamorganshire in Like his brother, he enlisted in the Territorials and joined the 5 th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (Territorials) in March 1909 at Bolton. Prior to this he had worked as a Printer s Labourer at Know Mill, Hob Lane, Edgworth. (2) No further information has been found. Frank W E Hardy and Edgar A Hardy Although both could have been involved in the war, there is no record for either that can be identified.

8 Family History 0n 2 January 1915 Francis married Edna Alice Buckley at the Parish Church of Friarmere in Yorkshire. Francis died in Malvern Worcestershire on March 1969 and his widow, Edna, died in Worcester in December (21) (20) Some of the family must have stayed in Edgworth, as this gravestone commemorates Frank, his mother and father and sisters in St. Anne s Churchyard, Turton. (19)

9 The Jerusalem Memorial, Yerushalayim, Jerusalem, Israel, commemorating the Commonwealth soldiers who died with no known grave. (15) Research: Standard References: Stephen Shields 1, 2, 7, 15, 30, plus: 18 Memorial card Walker family tree 21 Hardy family tree 22 Photo A Spencer