Decorated by the Enemy!
This film (it is a full length movie) was difficult to watch but I wanted to see it as it relates to a family member who participated in the Battle of the Somme. It meant even more to me when I saw the scenes of the wounded in No Man’s Land and the medics who tried to help them. As far as I know none of my direct ancestors fought in WWI but my great grandfather’s cousin, Cyril Gardner was among those who never came home. He fought at Beaumont Hamel during the Battle of the Somme and was among the injured who weren’t counted at roll call the next day. When I first heard about Cyril the story I had found told that he was believed to have been the only allied soldier decorated on the field of battle by the enemy. My first thought was “leave it to my family be known for something like this.” But as I would soon discover, Cyril was an inspiration, not only for his time, but for ours as well. Cyril Gardner wasn’t an American. He was a Newfoundlander, a British subject at the time. H