Fredrick Vardy

Fredrick enlisted at the outbreak of the Great War at Mansfield on 2nd September 1914. He gave his birth place as Leicester; he was 30 yrs and 224 days old. He was posted on 5th September to the 7th (service) Battalion Leicestershire Regiment and went to Aldershot for training. It was while training however that he appears to have had problems with the army way of life as on 14th November 1914 he was discharged from the Army under King's Regulation 392, 'unlikely to become an efficient solder' due to misconduct. On his application for discharge his commanding officer wrote, "This man is very untrainable and cause of much discontent in his company, he is unlikely to become an efficient soldier." He later re-enlisted at Sutton in Ashfield while residing at Mansfield. He went out to France in early 1915. He was killed in action on 7th June 1917 but his death was not confirmed until May the following year. He has no known grave; his name is commemorated on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial, Panel 39 & 41 11th Bn Sherwood Foresters formed part of 2nd Army's attack on Messines Ridge, the highly successful operation to clear enemy forces off high ground to the south of Ypres as a prelude to the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) launched on 31st July. In early June the unit moved from St Lawrence camp to Halfway House, then Ritz Street support trenches before assembling ready to attack. A series of huge mines were detonated at 20 second intervals causing panic and many casualties amongst Germans defending the area. According to 11th Sherwood Foresters' War Diary (TNA WO95/2187/3), they formed 'the left hand bn of the whole attack. Zero hour was at 3.10am at which hour the mines were exploded. The battalion occupied their objective with four casualties.' However 66 men, including Bingley, lost their lives on June 7th (CWGC Debt of Honour Register). 'The majority,' the War Diary reports,' took place from sniping and shell fire after the position was carried.' Battalion orders had insisted 'All ranks are to be warned that there is no such word as "RETIRE" and that anyone using such a word is in all probability a German.' The unit's response was impressive; Major CE Hudson MC was awarded the DSO for his part in the action. Three officers won the MC and 40 men from the ranks were decorated - 4 with DCMs and 36 with MMs. John Cotterill reflects: ‘It (7/6/1917) was really a day of mixed fortunes for the battalion. As their main responsibility was forming a flank they did not have to advance as far as everyone else but they hit the only really uncut wire. The very left of their objective was the only part of the British objective not to fall although you would not know that from the battalion history or war diary. Despite that, they did pretty well and advanced about 1,000 yards. The confusion and delay when their left hand company hit the uncut wire, unseen in a small hollow, was only sorted out by the energetic intervention of Edward Hudson, a remarkable man with an MC on the Somme, a DSO at Messines , a bar to his DSO at Passchendaele and a VC on the Asiago plateau (Italy). I think the 4 casualties recorded in the war diary just reflect an initial report. The battalion history records 41 x KIA, 169 x WIA and 15 x MIA on 7 June. If one adds KIA to MIA one is only a few short of final CWGC figure of 62. 70 Bde , of which 11th Foresters comprised one quarter , suffered 183 x KIA , 768 x WIA and over 400 x MIA . As few British became PW on 7 Jun one must assume most of the MIA were actually KIA. This gives the brigade nearly 600 dead so 11th Foresters casualties were proportionally the lowest in the brigade, presumably reflecting their flank holding role. The level of gallantry awards reflects more or less what one expects from a successful battalion attack. The DSO which would normally go to the CO, if he did a good job, obviously went to Hudson as second in command. The CO, Watson, had only come out of hospital on the day of the attack so it seems that Hudson was effectively in command. 3 x MCs is slightly less than the average of one per company, which would have given 4. Only 3 of the DCMs were actually for 7 Jun 1917, as the 4th (Sgt Legate) was for a raid on Hill 60 on 9 Apr 1917. Sgt Ellis was right up there with Hudson in terms of bravery with an MM in Sanctuary Wood in Oct 16, a DCM at Messines in Jun 17, a bar to his MM at 3rd Ypres in Sept 17 and a bar to his DCM on the Asiago plateau in Jun 1918. Although the battalion attacked in the first wave at 0310 hrs, it is clear that they did not start taking heavy casualties until German counter attacks began at 10.30 hrs and that , after that , they took a lot of punishment from both counter attacks and heavy and sustained German artillery fire . It seems remarkable that, with a total of 225 casualties, which is over 1 in 3 of the attacking infantry men , the 11th Foresters still had the lowest butcher’s bill in their brigade.’ Military Research by David Nunn and John Cotterill

The following is an article from the Notts Free Press dated 10th May 1918: Private F Vardy, Stanton Hill After being reported missing since June 7th 1917 official information has now been conveyed to Mrs Vardy, Stoneyford Cottages, Stanton Hill, that her husband Private F Vardy was killed in action, the deceased was 38 years of age and leaves a widow and 2 children. He enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment in August 1914 and was subsequently transferred to the Sherwood Foresters with which Regiment he went out to France early in 1915 and served with them to the last. Prior to his enlistment he was employed as a miner at the Sutton Colliery. It is regrettable to state that Mrs Vardy's son Private J Stocks 7th Sherwood Foresters is also reported missing since 21st March 1918.' Nottinghamshire Roll of Honour: 21686 Private J Stocks, 2/7th Bn Sherwood Foresters, killed 21 March 1918. Text on 'In Memoriam' card: In ever-loving and affectionate memory of Private Frederick Vardy the beloved husband of Eliza Ann Vardy who was killed in action somewhere in France, June 7th 1917, aged 38 years. ‘Like ivy on the withered oak, When all things else decay, Our love for him will still keep green And never fade away.’ ‘And when the war is done and victory won And the heroes all return, And we miss amongst the cheering crowds The face of our dear one; But could we have raised his dying head And heard his last farewell: The blow would not have been so hard To those who loved him well.’ ‘Gone, but not forgotten.’