Poppy In memoriam Poppy

Lance Corporal Valentine Sullock Aveline Tardif

 

 

Lance Corporal Valentine Sullock Aveline Tardif of the 15th Battalion London Regiment (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles), Service No.2604, was the son of Mrs Frances A. Tardif of 'Hope Cove', Salcombe Road, Ashford, Middlesex. He was killed on 15 September 1916 during the Battalion's attack on High Wood, on the first day of the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, aged 19. The Battalion diary for that day reads, in part:

Battalion took part in HIGH WOOD in general attack by IV Army. ... ZERO 5.50 a.m. 'A' Company on right immediately successful and pushed through to Support line. 'B', 'C' and 'D' Companies were cut up by Machine Gun fire & were unsuccessful.

The diary records 14 officers and 250 other ranks killed, wounded or missing that day.

Lance Corporal Tardif is buried at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France, grave VI.D.38. His gravestone inscription reads:

2604 LANCE CPL.

V. S. A. TARDIF

P. W. O. CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES

15TH SEPTEMBER 1916 AGE 19

UNTIL

 

Lance Corporal Tardif featured in an episode of the History Channel's series Not Forgotten. I have included him here because we share a surname.

 

 

Images kindly provided by Steve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator of the The War Graves Photographic Project, www.twgpp.org.