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Lance Corporal HENRY ERIC HARDEN

Service Number: 11006144
Regiment & Unit/Ship

Royal Army Medical Corps

Date of Death

Died 23 January 1945

Age 32 years old

Buried or commemorated at

NEDERWEERT WAR CEMETERY

IV. E. 13.

Netherlands

Commonwealth War Graves Commission - Headstone Placeholder
  • Secondary Unit, Regiment attd. No. 45 R.M. Commando Royal Marines
  • Country of Service United Kingdom
  • Awards Victoria Cross
  • Additional Info Son of William Thomas Harden and Fanny Marie Harden, of Northfleet, Kent; husband of Maud Harden, of Northfleet.
  • Personal Inscription GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS
  • Additional Citation note

    The citation in the London Gazette of 9th March, 1945, gives the following details: In North-West Europe on 23rd January, 1945 the leading section of a Royal Marine Commando Troop having come under intense machine-gun fire was ordered to make for some houses close by. Four of the section had been wounded and were left lying in the open. Under continuous fire Lance Corporal Harden at once went forward and with great coolness and bravery attended to the four casualties. He then carried one of them back to cover. He was ordered not to go forward again and an attempt was made to bring in the remaining casualties with the aid of tanks, but this proved unsuccessful owing to the heavy and accurate fire of anti-tank guns. A second attempt under a smoke-screen also proving unsuccessful, Lance Corporal Harden insisted in going forward with a volunteer stretcher party and succeeded in bringing back another badly wounded man. He went out a third time, and whilst returning with the stretcher party, he was killed. Throughout this long period Lance-Corporal Harden displayed superb devotion to duty and personal courage of the highest order. His action was directly responsible for saving the lives of the wounded brought in, while his complete contempt for all personal danger, and the magnificent example he set of cool courage and determination to continue with his work, whatever the odds, was an inspiration to his comrades and will never be forgotten by those who saw it.

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