Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Captain G. D. Hardy, Tank Corps, whose tank “Hadrian” made good headway at Cambrai in November 1917

British War and Victory Medals (Capt. G. D. Hardy), very fine or better (2) £160-180

George Dudley Hardy first went to France as a Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion, Tank Corps in August 1917, and was quickly in action at the battle of Cambrai on 21 November, when his unit formed part of 23 Company. He had command of H28, “Hadrian”, one of four tanks that managed to reach the village of Fontaine, having ‘successfully crossed the ridge and made it down the far slope by zig zagging furiously to avoid concentrated fire from the enemy guns ... all four vehicles patrolled the village and cleared it of the remaining enemy, the (sadly depleted) infantry coming up to occupy the village. All four tanks started back at 5.15 p.m., returning via Cantaing and reaching Orival Wood by 10 p.m.’ (8th Battalion’s war diary, refers).

Hardy was later granted the rank of Captain (London Gazette 10 November 1921, refers) and became a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He undertook further war work as a Chief Instructor at Caffyns Ltd. and was awarded the B.E.M. (London Gazette 15 June 1945, refers).