Hubert Tandy

Memorial: Thornbury - St Mary's Church

Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 8546

Parents: Lewis and Harriet Tandy

Marital status: Single

Home address: Grovesend, Thornbury, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Private in Regular Army

Date of birth: 1891

Place of birth: Thornbury, Bristol

Date of death: 26/02/1915

Buried/Commemorated at: Étretat Churchyard (Ref. I. B. 11.)

Age: 23

Further information:

Bronze Tablet and Wooden Memorial Board

Hubert Lewis Tandy was born in Thornbury. His birth was registered in the September quarter of 1891 and he was baptised at St Mary’s Church on 27th March 1892. He was one of the eight children of agricultural labourer, Lewis Tandy and his first wife Harriett. By 1898 the family were living at Grovesend. Hubert’s mother died towards the end of 1901. In June 1906 his father married Nellie Redding and soon the couple had three children together. At Bristol in about 1906, Hubert enlisted into the Army and, following in the footsteps of his older brother Joseph, served in the Gloucestershire Regiment

At the time of the 1911 census Hubert was a Private in Second Battalion, then based in Malta. His brother Joseph was living and working in Thornbury, but was in the Army Reserve. When war was declared, Hubert had served for eight years and was stationed at Tientsin in China. He had been expecting to enter the Reserve on his return but, instead, the Battalion landed back in England in November 1914 and was immediately mobilised for war as part of 81st Brigade, 27th Division. Hubert’s medal card shows that he arrived in France on 19th December 1914. 2nd Glosters were taken by train to the St. Omer sector and spent time at Aire digging trenches in the pouring rain

In early January 1915 the 27th Division took over the waterlogged French trenches near St. Eloi. On 7th January 81st Brigade was ordered to Dickebusch to support 80th Brigade, then holding the front line. The men spent days in the trenches, standing sometimes waist deep in mud and water, in bitterly cold weather. The War Diary for the 11th January records the sort of activity that occurred daily. ‘Artillery fire carried on all day, particularly heavy between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ... Artillery fire ceased at nightfall. At 6.30 p.m. there was very heavy rifle fire which lasted about 20 minutes: after that there was continual sniping all night’

2nd Glosters remained in the sector from St. Eloi to the Ypres-Menin Road. During the period from January to March 1915 the Battalion’s casualties were two officers and 33 other ranks killed, with four officers and 131 other ranks wounded. The South Gloucestershire Chronicle reported that Hubert was wounded on active service on 26th February. He was taken to the British No. 1 General Base Hospital at Étretat, about 25 kilometres north of Le Havre, where his arm was amputated but he died the same day. He was buried at Étretat Churchyard where two plots were set aside for Commonwealth burials

At the time of Hubert’s death, his brother Harry was serving as a Lance Corporal in a Welsh Regiment and his brother Joseph as a Private in 1st Glosters. Joseph died of wounds in October 1915 and is also named on the Thornbury Memorial

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

Thornbury Roots Website. Thornbury and District Museum Research Group. Forces War Records and the CWGC