Blencowe John A 1890

John Arnold Blencowe [4332]

Died of Illness 16^th Jun. 1918

1890-1918

Father Nm: Alfred Edward Blencowe, b. 1857, Brentford, Middlesex died 2Q 1922, Brentford, Middlesex Oldest known ancestor – Alfred Edward Blencowe 1856 Hanwell.

Mother Nm: Marie Henrietta. Bahruth, b. 1856, Germany died 4Q 1934 Hampstead.

Marriage Dt: June 1918 to Hannah W Swindale, Newcastle T. Vol. 10b Pg. 317.

K comments:

Spouse comments: Wife Hannah Windlow Swindale1891-1968 was a VAD Nurse from 1917-1919. A widower in 1918 Hannah remarried in 1921 to John W Graham.

Children:

(Research): GR[B] Hampstead Sept 1890.

Birth 9^th Aug 1890

1901 Census Hampstead Middlesex

Blencowe Alfred Head Retired Policeman, Checktaker Theatreman 44
Blencowe John Son M 1891 Hampstead 10
Blencowe Marie Wife F 1858 Germany 43

1911 Census 40 Graham Avenue Ealing

Blencowe Alfred Edward Head M 1857 Hanwell 54
Blencowe Czilpah Florence Dau Draper F 1895 16
Blencowe John Arnold Son Fitter -TURNER M 1891
Blencowe Marie Wife F 1858 Hanbury, Germany 53

Royal Navy

WW1

Blencowe John Arnold, 1890, Hampstead, Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class, M/5108, Royal Navy.

Synopsis

Born of a German mother John must have been conflicted about the war. He volunteered well before the war and his trade may have led him to the opportunities to develop skills in the Royal Navy. He saw a fair amount of action from below decks, but the tour of the Baltic brought on an illness that took his life. John may well have met his wife Hannah as he was nursed in 1918 certainly she was in a Military Hospital during that period.

Pre War

3rd Aug.1912 Signed up for 12 years service, John’s occupation on joining fitter and turner meant he was put into the ships engine room work.
The ships engines and drive mechanisms would need maintenance and replacement parts created on board if necessary. So a role for mechanical workers like John. Source IWM artist Stephen Bone drawing 1944.

Ships that John served on 1912-1914, HMS Pembroke II (a Training School and base) and HMS Actaeon and HMS St George.

1914

29^th Aug.1914 – 7^th Feb 1918 HMS Undaunted. HMS Undaunted was a new ship commissioned in Apr. 1914 and John was to spend most of the war on this ship. When John joined this ship it was right after a major sea Battle of Heligoland Bight. HMS Undaunted participated in numerous naval operations during the First World War. On commissioning she was assigned as the leader of the 3^rdDestroyer Flotilla of the Harwich Force, guarding the eastern approaches to the English Channel.
17^th Oct. HMS Undaunted was involved in an action off the Dutch Island of Texel with German torpedo boats resulting in the complete annihilation of the German Seventh Half-Flotilla of torpedo boats.¹
Illustration of the sinking of the German torpedo boats during the Texel action under the caption ‘Sunk the lot’, in a contemporary British magazine
25^th Dec. HMS Undaunted took part in the Cuxhaven Raid. On Christmas Day, 1914, the first combined sea and an air strike were executed by the Royal Navy, aimed at locating and if possible bombing the dirigible sheds housing German Zeppelins, in a pre-emptive strike to prevent the airships from attacking the United Kingdom. Fog, low cloud and anti-aircraft fire prevented the raid from being a complete success, although several sites were attacked. Nevertheless, the raid forced the German Admiralty to remove the greater part of the High Seas Fleet from Cuxhaven to various places on the Kiel Canal.²

1915

24^th Jan. After a German Battlecruiser Squadron had on 16 December 1914 raided the seaside towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool (which resulted in the death of 18 civilians) there was public outrage that the attack from the sea had taken place. This prompted the Admiralty to quickly respond and as a result, HMS Endurance took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank however though present the Endurance did not take part in the fighting.⁴
24 March. HMS Undaunted was damaged in a collision with the destroyer HMS Landrail.¹Three men are record killed in this collision from the Great war forumMCLEAN GEORGE MASTER AT ARMS 169856 (Ch) 24/03/15 DROWNING FOLLOWING COLLISIONPAINE JOHN R.M. SHIPWRIGHT 1c 345877 24/03/15 DROWNING FOLLOWING COLLISION
ROBINSON ARTHUR STOKER 1c 291811 24/03/15 DROWNING FOLLOWING COLLISION

1916

24^th Mar. HMS Undaunted was again damaged in a collision, this time with the cruiser HMS Cleopatra.¹
1st Jun. The Battle of Jutland. The Harwich Force including the Endurance sortied to join the Grand Fleet on the initiative of Commodore Trywhitt early on 1 June 1916 (although the force was recalled by the Admiralty a few hours later).¹

1917

HMS Undaunted was appointed as leader of the 10^thDestroyer Flotilla of the Harwich Force. In early 1917, the Harwich Force consisted of eight light cruisers, two flotilla leaders and 45 destroyers. By the end of the year, there were nine light cruisers, four flotilla leaders and 24 destroyers.The combination of light, fast ships were intended to provide effective scouting and reconnaissance, whilst still being able to engage German light forces, and to frustrate attempts at mine laying in the Channel.¹

1918

8^th Feb -14^th Jun. John served on HMS Coventry.HMS Coventry was a new Light Cruiser just completed for service. HMS Coventry was in the 5^th Light Cruiser squadron from February 1918 till May 1919 and served in the Baltic in this time. Conditions in the Baltic would have been very harsh and it is a possibility this is how John became ill.
Sometime between February and June 1918, John is sick and in Hospital. We do know his wife was a Nurse and left her post in early May, most likely to get married and to possibly look after John. They married in June Quarter 1918.
15^th Jun. Returned to HMS Pembroke in Chatham, and on 16^th Jun. died of Pleuro Pneumonia.
After his death wife Hannah Windlow Blencowe continued nursing until April 1919. In 1922 she remarried .