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Pte. Henry Reardon
British Army 9th Btn., Att. 1st Army Infantry School Royal Dublin Fusiliers
(d.29th June 1918)
Henry Reardon was born in Dublin city in 1896 (birth date estimated), where he lived with his family in his early years in the Guinness Trust Buildings, New Bride Street. He came from a family of tailors. By 1911, Henry had emigrated from Ireland and was living in Liverpool. Within a few years he enlisted in the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Unfortunately Henrys military record did not survive. Private Henry Reardon, regiment number 27435, attached The First Army Infantry School. We know from his army index card that Henry fought in the Western European theatre of war. His medal roll index card indicates Henry was awarded the Victory medal and the British War medal. He died in France on 29th June 1918. Henry did not die in action, but in the 25th General Hospital Hardelot from bronchial pneumonia. He was 22 years old. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cites Henrys burial place as Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France.
While Private Henry Reardon commenced his army service in the 9th Battalion RDF, according to his death certificate by 1918 he had transferred to the 1st Battalion RDF.
Henry's story was lost to our family and only recently have we been able to piece together some details of his life and death. Remarkably for us it was his first cousin Michael O'Reardon (who fought as a young 17-year-old in the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers at the Four Courts in the 1916 Rising and lived till 1982), who kept in touch with Henry's surviving family in Liverpool and had the family memorial card and Death Memorial Plaque in his effects when he died. It is with great pride that we, as an Irish family, remember both cousins Henry and Michael in this special year of centenaries 2016.
