William George Tandy

Memorial: Dyrham - St Peter's Church

Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment

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

Rank and number: Private 16679

Parents: Jesse and Lydia Tandy

Home address: Dyrham Park Lodge and Hinds Cottage, Dyrham

Pre-war occupation: Gardener

Date of birth: 1891

Place of birth: Cheltenham

Date of death: 29/07/1916

Buried/Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial, France

Age: 25

Further information:

Born in Cheltenham, the son of Jesse and Lydia Tandy later of Dyrham Park Lodge and Hinds Cottage Dyrham. William worked as a gardener for Mr Goldney at Derriads Farm

William was a Private in the 12th (Service) Battalion (Bristol), Gloucestershire Regiment, he was killed in action on 29th July 1916 aged 25

He was in the same regiment as Christpher Ball, who also died a few weeks later on 3rd September, this was the time of the Battle of the Somme. There is no known grave for William Tandy but he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France

Bristol's Own.
The 12th Battalion was formed in Bristol on 30th August 1914 by the Bristol Citizens Recruiting Committee. More soldiers were needed as all the regulars and Territorials had gone to war. Because of its city of 'birth', it was called 'Bristols Own'. It trained at Bower Ashton and Ashton Court Estate before moving to Yorkshire and then on to Salisbury plain. In November 1915 the 27 officers and 886 men of the battalion were moved to France and fought in Flanders until the Armistice

Initially, the Regiment was in a 'quiet' area of the Somme before moving to a section of the front line between St Laurent Blangy and the southern edge of Vimy Ridge, in front of Arras in March 1916. It returned to the Somme in mid July to fight in the battle which had begun on the 1st July. They entrenched in a line facing Delville Wood (Devil's Wood to the British) which was on the British flank. The 5th Division was not involved directly with planned advances until 3rd September

William may have died from wounds incurred from the attack on the Switch Line or died from subsequent German artillery fire

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

Edward Walsh
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Forces War Records