Hero army chaplain remembered 100 years on

One of the most decorated non-combatants of the First World War is being remembered 100 years after his death.

To mark the end of the First World War Centenary, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has launched its “Road to Peace” project.  The project tells 120 personal stories of casualties who died during the final 100 days of the First World War, from 8 August to 11 November.

The stories have been compiled by the CWGC’s team of historians and includes the remarkable account of a First World War Reverend, Chaplain Theodore Hardy, who was one of the most decorated non-combatants of the First World War, he was awarded a Victoria Cross, Military Cross and received the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery and compassion on the Western Front.

He died on 18 October 1918 in France, three weeks before the end of the war, during the 100 days offensive, the last major offensive on the Western Front.

Born in 1863, Theodore was educated at the Commercial Travelers School, then University College London. He was ordained as a priest in 1898. Before the war Theodore worked as a Vicar in Cumbria, sadly his wife died in 1914. When war was declared in 1914, Reverend Hardy was recently widowed and with two adult children, he immediately tried to enlist as a Chaplain but was rejected as he was too old. Undeterred, he persisted and was finally accepted in 1916, and soon was sent to the Western Front as a minister.

Theodore frequently risked his life, in no man’s land, and during attacks to bring aid and comfort to the wounded.

He was awarded the DSO (Companion of the Distinguished Service Order) for his actions during the 3^rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 1917. He remained under fire all night in no man’s land with a rescue party, crawling with a broken wrist to stay with and comfort wounded men. During the same battle he was awarded the Military Cross for helping to evacuate the wounded during a severe bombardment.

More instances of ‘most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty’ throughout April 1918 resulted in the award of a Victoria Cross. According to the London Gazette: ‘He has, by his fearlessness, devotion to the men of his battalion, and quiet unobtrusive manner, won the respect and admiration of the whole division.’ His citation describes several instances of valour, including giving life-saving first aid in a dangerous spot, digging men out who’d been buried by a shell while still under shell fire, and collecting a wounded man less than ten yards from a German position.

King George V presented him with the Victoria Cross in France on 9 August 1918.  A few months later Hardy was wounded on a visit to men who were being heavily shelled.  He died in a military hospital in France on 18 October. The Road to Peace Project aims to illustrate the global nature of sacrifice of the First World War. From famous casualties like war poet Wilfred Owen, through to relatively unknown individuals; from those dying in battle to those who died of Spanish Flu; each story has been carefully chosen to shine a light on the human stories on the costly Road to Peace.

CWGC Historian, Max Dutton, explained: “Behind every one of our headstones or names a memorial to the missing, is a human story just waiting to be told. Our 100 days “Road to Peace” campaign will remind people of the human cost of the Great War, the sheer diversity of those who took part and the global nature of that sacrifice and remembrance today. We hope Revered Theodore Harvey’s story will inspire people to find out more about him and his comrades commemorated by the CWGC and visit their graves and memorials.”

From 8 August – the 100th anniversary of the Allied victory at the Battle of Amiens – the “Road to Peace” campaign will conclude on 11 November with the stories of 11 people who died on the very last day of the First World War, even as the guns fell silent. The “100 Days” is a term applied to the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives on the Western Front that ultimately led to peace. Not actually 100 calendar days, the term is a reference to the final period of the Napoleonic Wars.

The Road to Peace stories will be shared across the CWGC’s digital channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A story will appear every day – with a more in-depth feature appearing weekly.