Private Henry Tandey VC DCM MM


Henry Tandey (or Tandy) was born in the Angel Hotel, Regent Street, Leamington, Warwickshire, on 30 Aug 1891. His mother died while he was a child and he spent part of his childhood in an orphanage. He enlisted in the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) on 21 Aug 1910. He served with the 2nd Battalion in Guernsey and South Africa. In WW1 he took part in the battle of Ypres in Oct 1914, and was wounded at the Somme in Oct 1916. He was wounded again in Nov 1917 at Passchendaele. He remained with the Green Howards until 27 July 1918 when he transferred to the 5th Battalion, Duke of Wellingon’s (West Riding Regiment). It was while serving in that regiment that he won all his awards for bravery. On 28 Aug 1918 at Cambrai, he and two other privates dashed across open ground to bomb a German trench when other parties were held up. He returned with 20 prisoners and was awarded the DCM. On 12 Sep 1918 , at Havrincourt he repeated this action, after having rescued several wounded men under fire the previous day. For this he received the Military Medal. 

On 28 Sep 1918 he carried out at least three separate acts of outstanding heroism to win the Victoria Cross. These were witnessed by Private Lister:

‘On 28th September 1918 during the taking of the crossing over the Canal de St.Quentin at Marcoing, I was No.1 of the Lewis gun team of my platoon. I witnessed the whole of the gallantry of Private Tandey throughout the day. Under intensely heavy fire he crawled forward in the village when we were held up by the enemy MG and found where it was, and then led myself and comrades with the gun into a house from where we were able to bring Lewis gun fire on the MG and knock it out of action.Later when we got to the canal crossings and the bridge was down, Private Tandey, under the fiercest of aimed MG fire went forward and replace the planks over the bad part of the bridge to enable us all to cross without delay, which would otherwise have ensued. On the same evening when we made another attack we were completely surrounded by Germans, and we thought the position might be lost. Pte Tandey, without hesitation, though he was twice wounded very nastily, took the leading part in our bayonet charge on the enemy, to get clear. Though absolutely faint he refused to leave us until we had completely finished our job, collected our prisoners and restored the line.’

On this same day, 28 Sep 1918, it is said that Tandey had an encounter with Corporal Adolf Hitler in the French village of Marcoing. Hitler was wounded and weary, and offered no resistance when faced with a British soldier brandishing a rifle. Tandey decided to spare the life of this pathetic-looking enemy figure and lowered his firearm. Adolf nodded his thanks and wandered off. When Tandey’s photo was published in the press following his award of the VC, Hitler recognised him as the man who spared him, and cut out the picture. He was also made aware of the painting by Fortunino Matania, of the Green Howards  at Menin Crossroads in which the image of Private Henry Tandey carrying a wounded comrade features prominently in the foreground. Hitler was impressed by this painting and had a large photo of it framed on his wall. When Neville Chamberlain went to Berghof to meet with Herr Hitler the painting was discussed. Chamberlain promised Hitler that he wound contact Henry Tandey to convey the Fuhrer’s good wishes and thanks. The truth of the story is in question, as is the alleged phone call from Prime Minister Chamberlain to Tandey. A book has been written: The Man Who Didn’t Shoot Hitler: The Story of Henry Tandey VC and Adolf Hitler 1918  by David Johnson (The History Press 2014).

Henry Tandey’s army career did not end with the war. After being discharged on 14 Mar 1919 he re-enlisted on 15 Mar 1919, in the 3rd Bn Duke of Wellington’s. On 18 Mar 1919 he was promoted to acting lance-corporal but in Feb 1921 asked to be demoted to private. He preferred overseas service so was transferred to the 2nd Battalion and went to Gibraltar in 1922, Turkey in 1923, and Egypt until 1925. He was finally discharged on 5 Jan 1926. He returned to Leamington and was married (no children). His home was bombed in WW2 and a journalist asked him about his meeting Hitler in 1918. He was quoted as saying, “I was sorry to God I let him go.” He later became a policeman at the Standard Triumph Works, a job that lasted 38 years. He died on 20 Dec 1977 at the age of 86. He had requested his ashes to be buried in the Masnieres British Cemetery at Marcoing, but this was prohibited by French law.

The coloured photo shows Private Henry Tandey in the service dress uniform of the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. His medals include, from the left; the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the Military Medal, the 1914 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. His final medal tally added the WW2 Defence Medal and three medals awarded to surviving VC recipients: The George VI Coronation Medal (1937), The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) and the QE II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977). Tandey donated his medals to the Duke of Wellington’s Regimental Museum in Halifax, but was allowed to take them out for special occasions. On the last occasion, the Silver Jubilee, he died and they were not returned. His wife auctioned them at Sotheby’s, and a private collector bought them for a record 27,000 pounds on 26 Nov 1980. They were presented to the Green Howards Museum by Sir Ernest Harrison at a ceremony at the Tower of London on 11 Nov 1997, twenty years after the death of Henry Tandey. The original VC is kept in a bank vault.


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by Stephen Luscombe