Herbert Kendall. 7th Bedfords KIA 23 march 1918

[steve fuller]

Herbert Charles Kendall Private Number 200570, KIA notice 4400. Somme 23rd March 1918, buried at Poziers cemetry.

This was my Great Grandpops.

Anyone come accross specific info thatd help ID the battle / action that he died in? Any letters, reports, any interesting detail that would help put a decent piture together? Also, any known medals etc before I start REALLY getting into detail?!

[Robert Dunlop]

The date means that your great grandfather was killed during the British retreat. 23 March is 2 days after the opening of Operation Michael, also known as Kaiserschlacht. The Germans attacked Third and Fifth Armies. Sufficient breakthroughs in the Fifth Army were made to require the British to fall back over the ground vacated by the Germans when they had retreated to the Hindenburg Line in 1917, including the Somme.

If you want a good feel for what the situation was like, it is worth reading Lyn MacDonald's book 'To the Last Man: Spring 1918' (ISBN 014 02 6840 5).

Hopefully, it will be possible for someone to work out which unit he was with. Then it should be possible to get more precise details on the exact context.

[Raster Scanning]

Steve.

I have had an interest in this unit (7th Beds) for more years than I care to admit.

I will post some details tomorrow (bedtime here in Brunei)

John.

[Yorts]

Steve,

His medals will be recorded on his medal index card held at the public records office at Kew. His service record *may* be there, although the majority were destroyed by German bombing in 1940. The battalion war diary also at Kew will give more details on what his unit was doing on the day of his death.

His minimum medal entitlement would be a British War Medal and Victory Medal, plus a Memorial Plaque and Scroll sent to his next of kin.

Rgds,

Alex.

[Raster Scanning]

Hi Steve.

I have attached the War Diary entries for the time your Gt Grandfather was killed.

I have another account from a privately written book that I will scan and email you if you contact me off forum.

These accounts read together give a real impression of the bitter fighting that was taking place.

I have quite a bit of information on this Battalion but nothing further relating to your Gt Grandfather.

His Service number indicates he was probably transferred from the 5th (Territorial) Battalion of the Bedfords, sometime after March 1st 1917 (when the new 6 digit numbers were intruduced).

I see he was living and enlisted in Leighton Buzzard before the war. I note he is not mentioned on the Leighton Buzzard War memorial.

Do you have any further info on this man as I am keen to add all possible details to my data base.

John.

BEDFORDSHIRE_REGIMENT_21.doc