Harry Ernest Blinko [4447]
1893-1960
Known as Ernest.
Father Nm: Harry Blinko [3333] born 15.8.1863 Wycombe died Sep q 1945 Maidenhead ; oldest known ancestor – William Blincko 1635 Hedgerley.
Mother Nm: Frances (Fanny) Janes [8978] born 20.3.1865 Henley on Thames died 1950 Maidenhead
Marriage Dt 1922 St Georges Hanover, Antoinette Nollar
K comments: Brother Jack Albert enlisted with the RAF but was discharged on failing to achieve Flying Officer status.
Son Peter Francis Blinko served with RAF as an Airman 2321559
Spouse comments: Antoinette Nollar [8092] b. Jul 1895 St George Hanover died 25.8. 1965 St Albans
Children: Peter Francis 1928
Birth 1893
Blinko Harry Ernest Wandsworth 1d 690, Baptism Date: 5 Nov 1893, Father’s Name: Harry Blinko, Mother’s Name: Frances Blinko, Parish or Poor Law Union: Paddington St Paul, Borough: Westminster, Register Type: Parish Registers.
1901 Census St George Hanover Square, London
- Ernest Blinko abt 1894 Wandsworth, London, England son
- Fanny Blinko abt 1865 Buckinghamshire wife
- Henry Blinko abt 1844 High Wycombe, Bucks head
- Jack Blinko abt 1900 St George Hanover Square, London son
1911 Census Maidenhead (Cookham Dean)
- Blinko Fanny Wife 1864 Henley 47
- Blinko Harry Head Motor Car Driver 1863 Wycombe 48
- Blinko Harry Ernest Plumbers Labourer 1893 Wandsworth 18
- Blinko Jack Albert 1900 Mayfair 11
Queen Victoria Rifles 9th London Regiment |
WW1
Blinko Harry Ernest Francis, 1893, Paddington, Private, 1677, 390120,1/9th London Regiment (Queen Victoria Rifles).
Synopsis
Enlisted as a territorial sometime between February 1913 and April 1914 before the war broke out. Serial Number 1554 joined on 11th February 1913 and 1724 joined on 23rd April 1914).4 Ernest has two spells with the 9th Bn. (QVR’s) Overseas 15th Nov 1914 to 8th Nov 1915 and after being wounded he spent 13 months in England, returning to the western front 4th Dec 1916 and then served to 14th Dec 1917. Thus Ernest missed a very deadly year at the western front the action was ferocious for his battalion they lost half their battalion strength or 528 men in the time he was away. An appendix is added to this profile to indicate where the battalions battles in 1916. We don’t know why Ernest was discharged in 1917 but it could have been that he was at the end of his territorial service commitment. Ernest was to be involved in many major battles of the war that occurred in the time he was at the front. He was wounded at least twice and possibly more times, his battalion suffered many casualties in their frequent combat operations with 1312 men KIA in the war their overall losses (wounded, etc.) were huge.
1914
- 4th Nov. Ernest embarked for France and landed on the 5th Nov. at Le Havre as part of the 13th Brigade 5th Division. He arrived as the German forces were pressing forward on Ypres in their march to the sea through Flanders.the 9th QVR’s were sent to the front at Wulverghem.
- Dec. In Trenches for spells next to River Douve shelled and some casualties and conditions very bad in the trenches as rain filling and river water seeping into the trenches.7 Four men from the QVR’s KIA in the month.6
1915
- 2nd Jan. Admitted to No 3 Casualty Clearing Station at Hazebrouck with a Gunshot wound to the head and sent to No.8 Ambulance Train.5
- Service Number: 1677.
- Ailment: Gunshot wound head.
- Date of Admission for Original Ailment: 02/01/1915.
- Date Transferred to Sick Convoy: 02/01/1915.
- Notes are written in the Observations Column: To No.8 Ambulance Train.
- Regiment: London Regiment 9th (County of London) Battalion (Queen Victoria’s Rifles).
- 1st Jan.Ernest is wounded at La Petite Douve, Nr Wulverghem.
The results of the 1st Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November) left the British defending difficult territory the Ypres Salient. On the 1st Jan. the QVR’s were mostly asleep when they were shelled ferociously near, Wolverghem. It would seem Ernest’s reported gunshot wound to the head (see next entry) was probably from a shell fragment.7 11 men from the QVR’s died this day.6
- 17th Apr.Hill 60.
Ernest was probably not at this famous QVR battle given it may take more time to recover from his head wound in January. An attack was mounted on Hill 60 by the 13th Infantry Brigade which included the Queen Victoria’s Rifles (9th London Regiment). The Hill was a small promontory on the edge of the Ypres Salient that afforded good views for the Germans across the British lines and into Ypres. It was therefore of great tactical significance to both sides. Prior to the attack, the hill had been undermined for days with five galleries being driven under the German positions. The plan was to detonate large mines under the hill to destroy the enemy and their positions, then the 13th Infantry Brigade would occupy the area. The Hill was captured on April 17th and on April 20th, two and a half companies of the QVRs were ordered up to the front line as the enemy made a counter-attack.
- 21st-24th Apr. Second Battle of Ypres.
This was the battle that the Germans first used Chlorine Gas in the Northern sector of the Front Line. It had devastating effects first on two French Divisions and then on the 1st Canadian Division and also the British Divisions in the vicinity. Released on the 21st Apr. it bewildered the allied forces who hadn’t seen anything like it and were also totally ill-equipped to deal with it. It took a while to learn just the basics that it was worst at the bottom of trenches and that it was water-soluble and so wet handkerchiefs over the nose and mouth could help a little. the casualties from its use were very high creating a huge gap in the front line but the Germans cautious to advance in its wake could not capitalise on its effect and the line was closed over the next few days aided by some brilliant defending most notably by the Canadians. Ernest and the 5th Div. were lucky to have been south of the gas main attack.
- 21st Apr. At dawn, the Germans began bombarding the QVRs with hand grenades. Casualties were heavy, including two officers were killed. Only 40 QVRs were left in the front line, but Lieut. Woolley by rallying the troops with encouragement and letting the men know that reinforcements were on the way, helped repulse the counter-attack by throwing bombs (grenades) at the advancing Germans. For his gallantry, Lieutenant Woolley was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first to be won by the Territorial Force. A memorial to the QVR’s because of this event was built at Hill 90.1 The battalion had 16 men KIA this day.5
- 22rd – 23rd Apr. Battle of Gravenstaffel.
After three attempts to blow the gas cloud across the sector held by two French divisions in the northern part of the Ypres Salient, the German infantry attack on the sunny spring afternoon of 22nd April made significant advances into Allied-held territory. From the 5th Div. only the 13th Brigade (including QVRs) was involved in this battle and no significant combat this day but on the next day it was a different story for the 13th Bde. 2
- 24th Apr-5th May. Battle of St. Julien. The village of St. Julien had been comfortably in the rear of the 1st Canadian Division until the poison gas attack of 22nd April when it became the front line. From the 5th Div. only the 13th Brigade (including QVRs) was involved in this battle and were south of St Julien on the front line there. 2 It can be seen from the map below the QVR Bn. was near the village of Wieltje in the open ground they came under heavy shell fire and had to dig themselves in frantically no sooner this was done than a German frontal attack took place. While they held their line the QVR’s lost 21 men KIA on these two days fighting. Note Robert Blencowe of the 1st RWR was also on the Wieltje-St Julien line fighting on this day.
- Jul.Pte. Ernest Blinko, with others in his Company, 9th County of London (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) has been offered a commission, but, after consideration, preferred to remain as he was; nevertheless, the offer itself is a compliment which we are certain was well deserved.”Pte. Ernest Blinko, with others in his Company, 9th County of London (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) has been offered a commission, but, after consideration, preferred to remain as he was; nevertheless, the offer itself is a compliment which owner is certain was well deserved.”
- Nov. Ernest is wounded a second time it seems.”Ernest Blinko and Charles Druce have each been wounded a second time; while as mentioned above Sidney John Godfrey and Edward Garrett were killed in action on Sept. 25th and on Oct. 17th respectively.” source: Cookham Dean parish magazine, November 1915 (D/P43B/28A/31)
- 8th Nov. Army records show this to be the last day of his first spell on the Western Front and it’s presumed this is the day he is invalided home and may have been after some days in a hospital in France. As to where Ernest was possibly wounded here are the options.
1916
- Nearly all the year in England in convalescence, most likely.
- 14th Dec. Ernest rejoins Bn. in the Neuve Chapelle sector (Note the battalion now part of 169th Brigade in 56th (London) Division.
1917
- 14th Jan.- 29th Jan. Arrived at Laventie (south of Ypres and west of Lille) on the 14th Jan. and moved to the front line trenches on the 21st.
- 21st Jan. Weather worsening (very cold) plus snow made it very easy for QVR lines to be spotted by enemy Aircraft. War diary entry “Bn. in trenches holding posts…heavily shelled and one post raided by enemy. A considerable loss to our Garrison.” Casualties for the day 5 men KIA.6
- The following day’s raids and counter-attacks took place.
- 24th Jan. War diary entry “A wiring party was spotted by the Boche and heavily shelled suffering heavy casualties.”Casualties for the day 11 men KIA.6
- 14th Mar. – 5th Apr. The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line.
- 18th Mar. In billets at Achicourt and then into trenches at Beaurains.
- 8th Apr. The battalion was ordered to support the 167th Bde of the Division in offensive operations of the 9th Apr.
- 9th – 14th Apr. The First Battle of the Scarpe.
- 9th-13th Apr. By the evening the Hindenburg line had been captured as far south as Lion Lane. The Bn. attached to the 167th Bde. was ordered to clear the Hindenburg Line as far south as Wancourt Lane. The following days were spent fighting their way to Wancourt Lane. There were 9 men KIA over this period.6
- 14th Apr.Advance on Cherisy. At 5.30 am on the 14th the Queen’s Westminster Rifles and the QVR’s attacked from the Wancourt Tower Ridge with their objectives being another ridge 1,000 yards away and then the village of Cherisy. The men were exhausted having had one hour’s sleep per day over the previous three days. Just before the British barrage started, the Germans dropped a heavy barrage on the QWR trenches. At 5.30 they went over the top on a bright, spring morning. As soon as they started to descend Tower Ridge they were met by heavy machine-gun fire from front and both flanks. By 8 am, the QWRs and QVRs were in an isolated position some 600 yards in front of the main British trenches. In the evening the Bn. withdrew having suffered devastating casualties 101 men KIA6 and in total, about 360 casualties were incurred from the failed attack.
- 1st – 4th May. The Third Battle of the Scarpe. The battalion in late April was in the area east of Guemappe itself 8 km south-east of Arras. On the day of the attack, they were involved in some bombing attacks and took over the front line at the end of the day on 3rd May. casualties were 15 men KIA in the period.
+ the battles marked + are phases of the Battles of Arras 1917
- 6thAug. The QVR’s left the Arras sector and entrained for Poperinghe area, where it transferred to the II Army Corps, on the 11th Aug. it was entrained again for Ouderdom and then to Chateau Segard.
- The 169th Brigade was to advance to Polygon Wood through Glencourse Wood and 167th Brigade was to reach the north-western part of Polygon Wood through Nonne Bosschen.
- 13th Aug. Under heavy shell-fire.An attempt was made to establish a line in Glencourse Wood but this failed and casualties were taken with 8 men KIA this day.6
- 14th Aug-15th Aug. The Bn. was relieved and withdrew to Half-Way House dugout. Under heavy shell-fire.
- 16th Aug. The QVR’s take part in a general assault and subjected to machine-gun fire as they supported the right flank of the attack and they were held up at Glencourse Wood. Casualties were severe with 23 men KIA this day.6
** the battles marked ** are phases of the Third Battles of the Ypres.
- 31st Aug. The Bn. entrained for Miramount and a camp near Bapaume.
- 1st Nov. The Bn. in the trenches of Loverval.
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21st Nov. The capture of Tadpole Copse^The 56th Div. attacked and captured Tadpole Copse and the Hindenburg Line near Moeuvres itself. Here they remained in reserve while the fighting for Bourlon Wood continued.
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23rd – 28th The capture of Bourlon Wood ^ The 24th Nov. a very bad day, enemy counter-attack the positions held near Tadpole Copse were overrun and the division forced back towards the old British front line.
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30th Nov. – 2nd Dec. The German counter-attacks Casualties at Cambrai for the Division were 211 killed, 1,046 wounded and 369 missing. The 56th Div. was so badly mauled it didn’t take part further and this was the end of the action for Ernest and 1/9th London Regt.
^ the battles marked ^ are phases of the Cambrai Operations
Note. Given Ernest is repatriated on 14th December 1917 he must have either ;
- completed a term of service as a territorial soldier or,
- was disabled either by sickness or wounds to not to be re-assigned to another battalion.
Note Expiry of service term explains why no Silver War Badge was awarded.
Sources
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Wikipedia
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Summary of the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge.
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http://www.gommecourt.co.uk/battle.htm.
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Army Service Numbers Blogspot.
- First World War Representative Medical Records of Servicemen from No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station.Archive Reference: MH106/283.
- CWGC database of casualties.
- The History of the Queens Victorian Rifles 1792-1922 .
Medals
Ernest awarded the 1914 ‘Mons” Star with clasp and rosette, the ribbon and rose worn without the medal and the rose and clasp inscribed 5th Aug -22nd Nov 1914. Ernest was also awarded the British and Victory medals.
Ernest was wounded at least twice in the war and possibly three times so he would have been entitled to wear would stripes on his dress uniform as shown below.
After the War
1933-1939
Electoral Registers, Name: Harry Ernest Blinko, County or Borough: Westminster, Ward or Division/Constituency: St George
Street Addresses: 17 Chesham Buildings, 17 Brown Hart Gardens
Death 1979 age 86 years
Camden Town, Volume 14 Page 1892.
1916 Appendix The Activities of the Queen Victoria Rifles in Ernest Blinko’s absence.
- 10th Feb. Transferred to 169th Brigade in 56th (London) Division and moved to the Somme sector the Division was consolidating in the Hallencourt area.
- 1st Jul.The Battle of the Somme. The diversionary attack at Gommecourt* A local attack on the northern flank of the main offensive, designed to ensure that Germans could not send reserve troops southwards and to conceal the actual extent of the front being attacked. No efforts were made to keep preparations secret. Casualties were very high for Queen Victoria’s Rifles and it is arguable if it was in any way a useful battle for the Somme offensive.
- – “A “Company on the right and “C” Company on the left led the QVR’s attack. They were to be followed by “B” Company …… Behind them were three companies of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles whose task it was to push through the QVRs and take the Quadrilateral where they were to meet with men of the 46th Division coming from the north. Here too, the men found uncut wire and heavy casualties occurred as they pushed through. Again, the company commanders suffered badly, all being killed or wounded in a few minutes. The combined QVR/QWR attack swept forward over two lines of trenches, however, and the men soon found themselves…….a few yards in front of the German third line. Having their commanders the battalions were now being led by small groups of young and inexperienced subalterns…. Under fire from Nameless Farm to the right, they decided to attack up the main communication trench, which they achieved with the help of a daring overground attack by an L/Cpl Packer of the QVR. Now in the third line, the QWR’s bombed their way up the trenches towards Gommecourt Cemetery at which point they would turn north towards the Quadrilateral. …… Attacked from either wing and from the centre, the rapidly thinning ranks of the QVR and QWR were forced to relinquish their hold on the German line and they withdrew, fighting hard, …. Their withdrawal was covered by a 2nd Lt. Horne and some Lewis gunners. Horne was killed manning the last gun. A small stretch of front line trench was all that was held by British troops now and, as they fought off German bombing parties with whatever means at their disposal. At about 8.20 PM conditions had become intolerable in the small stretch of German trench which was being defended by about 30 able bodied men. The half a dozen or so officers left from the various units that had attacked agreed it was time to make a break for it and the call of ‘Every man for himself was passed around. Under intense machine gun and rifle fire the men sprinted into No Man’s Land. Three of the six officers were killed, one was captured, another made it home (the intrepid 2nd Lt Petley) and the sixth, 2nd Lt Teddy Bovill of the Q.W.R., was shot and killed as he stepped into the British trenches.3 The CWGC shows that 176 QVR men killed in action this day.3
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Jul.-Aug. Considerable re-organisation of the Battalion needed with the wounded in the main being shipped back to England. The Bn. not in action in this period.
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8-9th Sept. The Battle of Ginchy* The assault in the south by the 56th Division and the 16th Division reached Bouleaux Wood but the attack in the centre was repulsed and they dug themselves in a new trench named Bully Trench. Ginchy was captured by the 16th Division and several German counter-attacks were defeated, There were about 350 battalion casualties of these QVR’s lost 56 men KIA on the 9th Sept. 6
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15th -22nd Sept. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette *A reduced strength QVR’s manned trenches in this period. From 15th-18th Sept. the Bn. occupied Loop, Fusilier, Cheshire and Combles trenches. on the 19th it went back in the line and occupied Falfemont Farm trenches finally on the 23rd moved to Q trench. In mid-Sept because of casualties, the battalion strength was 350 (out of 1018) there was on 22nd Sept. a draft of 310 reinforcements was received bringing up the battalion strength.
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25th – 27th Sept.The Battle of Morval * in which the Division captured Combles. An attack on Combles trench was arranged amid rumours that the Germans were evacuating the trench and indeed Combles itself. However, when the QVRs rushed the trench they were fired on from concealed pits and took heavy Casualties some 26 men KIA on the 25th Sept. Combles was evacuated on the 26th and taken by French and 2nd London’s and the LRB. On the 27th the Bn was moved back to Ville sur Ancre and Meaulte rest areas. However, after just two days they had moved up again to Lesboeufs to take over Foggy, Shamrock and Fluffy trenches
- 1st Oct-9th Oct. – The Battle of the Transloy Ridges*
- 1st Oct-2nd Oct. Ordered to extend the trench system they occupied and also to push out with patrols one such ran into Germans in trenches and the QVR’s lost men in the subsequent firefight. Heavy shelling and pushing forward caused further casualties on these two days. The CWGC figures are 4 men on the 1st Oct. and 9 men on the 2nd Oct there were over 200 wounded. On the 3rd Oct. the Bn. withdrew to Citadel Camp, Fricourt.
- 7th Oct -8th Oct. The Bn. received operations orders to attack Spectrum, Rainbow, and Hazy trenches with the object of capturing the ridge in front and overlooking Le Transloy. This attack failed and a withdrawal was ordered. On the 8th the QVR’s moved to relieve the 4th London’s in the front line at Foggy trench it was the morning of the 9th before they were able to complete the relief.
- 9th Oct. The Bn. had orders to attack Hazy and Dewdrop trenches, but this attack was heavily counter-attacked and very heavy casualties were taken. CWGC records 85 men KIA. 6
The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916.