Blencowe Albert 1895

ALBERT BLENCOWE  [4483]

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DIED OF WOUNDS 4TH SEPT.1917.

1895-1917

Father Nm: Henry Blencowe 1862- Oldest Known Ancestor: Thomas Blencowe,1803, Bishops Itchington.

Mother Nm: Hannah Clutterbuck 1865.

K comments: Brother William served with the Royal Engineers. Cousins John served with the Royal Navy,1891-1953 Harry with the Royal Garrison Artillery and Thomas and Joseph with the DCLI. Uncles John, Arthur, Reuben and Edward served with Oxford and Bucks LI.

The family tree of Thomas Blencowe and Ann Powell shows the ten members of the family that served. In addition to this Gertie daughter of Hennry and Hannah , Hilda daughter of John and Ada and Henry Tollerton’s wife Ethel were all munition workers at the Shell filling factory.

Spouse comments:

Children:

(Research): GR[B] Banbury March 1895.

1901 CENSUS 20 BOXHEDGE SQ. NEITHROP, BANBURY
  1. Blencowe Bertha Dau 4
  2. Blencowe Nellie Dau 12
  3. Blencowe Hannah Wife 37
  4. Blencowe Henry Head Builders Labourer 39
  5. Blencowe Albert Son 6
  6. Blencowe John Son 7
  7. Blencowe William Son Builders Labourer 15
  8. Blencowe Annie Dau 17
1911 CENSUS 20 BOXHEDGE SQ. NEITHROP, BANBURY
  1. Henry Blencowe 49 Labourer Electric Light Co
  2. Hannah Blencowe 47
  3. William Blencowe 25
  4. Ellen Blencowe 22
  5. Albert Blencowe 16 Railway Engine Cleaner GWR
  6. John Blencowe 17 Railway Engine Greaser GWR
  7. Bertha Blencowe 14
  8. Frank Blencowe 7
  9. Frederick Harry Blencowe 4

Oxford and Bucks L.I.

WW1

Blencowe Albert, 1895, Banbury, Private, 2268, 200447, 1/4th Bn. “C’ Coy. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry

1914
  • Aug. Based on the regimental number he enlisted about August 1914.

1915
  • 15th May. Taken on strength 1/4th OBLI Regt. which became part of the 145th Brigade in the 48th (South Midland) Division.

  • 29th Mar. Albert entered the theatre of war in France.

  • 30th March. The battalion arrived in Boulogne.  From the war diary “”At 11.15 a.m. marched to Pont de Briques Station and entrained for St. Omer at 1.15. pm. detrained at Cassel at 6.50 p.m. Their transport was on the same train, having come from Havre, where they had disembarked. Marched from Cassel to Steenvoorde (6 ½ miles), and billeted late at night in scattered farms.”

  • Apr. to Jun. Billeted in Ploegsteert, Belgium.

  • Jul. to Jul. 1916. Hebuterne Area.

1916
  • 1st Jul. The Battle for the Somme. VIII Corps (Lieutenant-General A G Hunter-Weston). Attack on Beaumont Hamel and Serre. The Battalion and most of its Division the 48th was to be in Corps Reserve at “Busles Artois 7
  • On 5th Jul. Graham Greenwell of 1/4th Oxford and Bucks wrote home from G Sector at Hébuterne: “Here we are again, back in the trenches, or rather canals, as the water is over our knees”. He was to be there until the 8th of July.
    “Yesterday afternoon I had a good look at the battlefield of 1st July through the telescope at a splendid observation post. It was a very interesting sight; it lay just to the right of us; the whole plain sloping up to the village called Serre held by the Germans was visible. Our troops attacked it after 6 days of bombardment, and after getting into the village were driven back to their original trenches. Heaps of bodies are still lying out there unburied, but the Germans and ourselves have been sending out stretcher parties each night. The three lines of German trenches in front of the village are absolutely shattered and are almost levelled; their thick wire is absolutely wrecked, but their machine guns did appalling damage in spite of everything. The village is one mass of ruins with a few gaunt trees standing up before the battle it was thickly wooded and almost invisible. Far to the right, I could see our guns shelling a large German railway centre behind the line – good sight”. 5
  • 14th-17th Jul. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge. in which the Division captured  Ovillers.
  • 23rd Jul. Pozieres.The following is extracted from:”Citizen Soldiers of Buckinghamshire 1795-1926″ by Major General J C SwannOn the night of the 22nd/23rd July, a general attack was delivered by the greater part of the Fourth Army, during which the Australians captured Pozieres. The 145th Infantry Brigade of 48th (South Midland) Division attacked their immediate left, in the following order from right to left: 1/4th Oxfords, 1/4th Royal Berks, 1/5th Gloucesters, the Bucks Battalion being in reserve in the Mash Valley behind Ovillers. The Oxfords and Berks gained a footing in their objectives,

The Battalion attacked just east of Pozieres. A Company on the left, D on the right, B in support, and C in reserve. The objective on the left was reached almost at once; that on the right after a hard struggle. At least two counter-attacks had to be repulsed. At 4 a.m. we were reinforced by two companies of the 4th Berks. Heavy shelling all day, but no further attacks were delivered. In the afternoon it became evident that the Battalion had suffered heavily, and at night we were relieved. Officers; 1 missing, believed killed; 1 killed and 8 wounded. In other ranks; 73 were killed, and many were wounded.4

  • 12th Aug. The British forces advance on a 1-mile front northwest of Pozières.

  • 13th Aug. Battle for Pozieres. This map shows how Blencowes were to take part in the Battle around Pozieres. In Alberts’s battalion was Alfred Blencowe who was mortally wounded and  Arthur H Blencowe all here in Skyline and Ration Trench on that day. Ten days later Fred Blencowe 21st Bn. AIF was wounded in the same spot. Diary says “Very heavy shelling over the whole area all day, more especially on Skyline and Ration Trenches. By the evening Skyline Trench had been obliterated, and C and D Companies had suffered heavy casualties, some, no doubt, caused by our own Heavies firing short…. At about 9 p.m. enemy shelling became intense around Battalion H.Q……Shortly before 10 p.m. the enemy attacked our front and left flank with apparently two battalions. Our centre, which was weakly held, was pierced.”6

  • 14 th Aug. Owing to the length of the line occupied and the casualties already sustained, no further counter-attack by the Battalion was practicable. The Casualties in the Battalion during the 13th and 14th of August were: 1 Officer missing; 5 Officers wounded, and 147 N.C.O.s and OR’s killed, wounded, and missing.6

  •  1st– 6th Nov. Le Sars. On the 1st Nov. C.O. and other officers reconnoitered support trenches between Martinpuich and Le Sars, preparatory to the Battalion moving in. The 5th Nov. “The Battalion in the front line in front of Le Sars, as a left front battalion. The 144th Brigade is on our right and the 44th Canadians (of the 4th Canadian Division) is on our left. The 50th Division (on the right of the 144th Brigade) attacked Butte de Warlencourt. The attack appeared to be successful. The enemy retaliated with 77 mm. and 15 cm. on the front and support lines and on Le Sars. The Battalion had 6 men killed and 9 wounded. During the day there was considerable intermittent hostile artillery activity, and enemy snipers were busy, on our left flank, enfilading Aqueduct Road. This is troublesome, owing to the terrible state of the trenches. Our support companies relieved the companies in the fire trenches. Some useful patrol work was carried out at night. On the 6 th Nov. Enemy artillery was unusually active. Le Sars, Destrernont Farm, Aqueduct Road, and intervening ground were well searched, especially during the afternoon, with Company H.Q. in the front line receiving special attention. Three German prisoners (64th R.I.R. Guards Division, Guards Reserve Corps) were captured opposite our left company and sent to Brigade H.Q.Casualty. 1 man was wounded. At night we were relieved by the 1/lst Bucks Battalion, the relief not being completed until after midnight. Companies moved back into trenches in the support area, previously occupied 5, 6

* The battles above are part of The Battle for the Somme

1917
  • Jan- Mar. Maisonette.

  • Mar- Apr. PeronneRonssoy.

  • May -Jun. Hermies & Demicourt.

  • 22 July. The battalion entrained to go north to the France/ Belgium border at Houtkerque, and from then on to the Flanders front.

Attack on Langemarck. On August 16, at Langemarck, to the west of Passchendaele, four days of fierce fighting resulted in a British victory; the gains were small and a high number of casualties were incurred. At 4 a.m. all companies were in position on assembly, and direction tapes laid west of the Steenbeek. Dispositions: C Company on the right, D on the left, forming the two leading waves. Langemarck Objectives:1) Strong points west of the St Julien-Langemarck road.2) Langemarek-Winnipeg road between C.6.d.2.L and C.6.C.4.9.3) Langemarck trench system, etc., to Hubner Farm. Two tanks were to have co-operated in attacking the strong points, but owing to the sodden nature of the ground they were unable to do so.

  • 16th Aug. Wounded in the attack on Langemarck. At 4.45 a.m. the attack started, our men advancing behind a strong artillery barrage. Beyond some slight rifle fire on our assembly positions, there was little opposition until the first wave had advanced about 200 yards east of the Steenbeek when it came under effective machine-gun fire from Mon du Hibou. The right flank was then reinforced by rear waves, and the advance was continued until it was stopped at about 100 yards south of a line through Mon du Hibou and Triangle Farm, by deadly machine-gun and rifle fire. Protected by strong concrete shelters, the enemy maintained their fire while our barrage passed over them. Most of the twelve company officers became casualties in attempting to get forward. We settled down to hold the ground gained. The attack on the right and on the immediate left was also held up, but farther on the left there was better progress. The enemy barrage came down after the attacking waves crossed the Steenbeek, and was directed with particular severity against Alberta Farm, cutting off communication for several hours. At 7.30 p.m. a company of the l/7th Worcester’s (in reserve) attacked Mon du Hibou but failed to take it.6

Langemarck map

  • August 17th. At 2.30 a.m. another company of the Worcesters repeated the attack on Mon du Hibou gained a temporary footing, but were driven out, and dug in close in front. We remained throughout the day holding a line of shell holes, suffering casualties from enemy snipers. Just before midnight, we were relieved.6

Langemarck Casualties. 5 Officers and 60 OR’s killed.5 officers and 100 OR’s wounded and 4 OR’s missing.Albert was among those fatally wounded and taken from the battlefield and sent to a Casualty Clearing Station and then onto a Military Hospital at Rouen. See the newspaper cutting from 1920. The Banbury Advertiser 24 September 1920

  • 4th Sept. Death. Albert survived for about 18 days until 4th Sept 1917 when he died from the wounds.

Note: Henry Blencowe (not directly related) 10th Bn. Rifle Brigade fought alongside Albert in this battle

SOURCES
  1. Western Front Association.

  2. Passchendaele Day-by-day website.

  3. 1/4th Oxford Bucks, 1916-1919 Roll of Honour.

  4. Full War Diary of 1/4th Battalion.

  5. Somme 1916 Gerald Gliddon.

  6. Extracted From The Regimental Chronicles of The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Compiled by Steve Berridge.

  7. Slaughter on the Somme by John Grehan, Martin Mace.

COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION
ST. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen

BLENCOWE, A, Rank: Private Service No:200447, Date of Death:04/09/1917

Regiment/Service: Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry 1/4th Bn.

Grave Reference P. III. C. 2A., Cemetery, St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen.

Albert is also remembered on a plaque at Marlborough Rd. Methodist Church, Banbury.

2024

Grandniece Sarah Mounset posted this photograph in the Facebook Group .”Myself and Dad Ken Court on a trip to Rouen. Thank you for the extra information you gave us regarding where my great uncle Albert fought and then was wounded before he died 10 days later. Have spent the last 4 days touring Normandy.”

Sarah Mounsey and Ken Court at Albert’s graveside in 2024

MEDALS

Awarded 1914-1915 Star, British, and Victory medals.

Gallery

Note: there are 4 records for this man that exist that are not shown in this gallery for copyright reasons.

Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry cap badge
Road to Pozieres  August 1916
Wounded 16 Aug 1917 in attack on Langemarck.
Battle of the Somme 1916
Ruined Houses in Hebuterne, July 1915
Ruined Houses in Hebuterne, July 1915
The Battle for Bazentin 14th -17th Jul. 1916
Chalk Pit Pozieres Australian army
The Church at LANGEMARCK later in WW1
Trench map le sars 1916
1st Oct. 1916 Thomas Arthur junior was either wounded 15th-18th or in this action.
langemark_ruins
Langemarck site of utter devastation after many batllesAlbert’s last fighting days spent here.
The church in ruins at LANGEMARCK earlier in the war
His mother would have received this memorial plaque and the Kings scroll
Details of the attack. 16th Aug Deadly machine gun fire cuts down the attack.
Diary of days after Alberts wounding , we can assumed on these days he is first sent to a Clearing Station and then on to Rouen for surgery to repair wounds.
War Diary from 14 Aug 1917 Aug 16th Albert with C Coy is positioned to lead the first wave of attack.
14th-17th Jul. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge*  in which the 48th Division captured Ovillers. Trench map of Ovilliers and Albert 1916
This map shows the Western front from Langemarck to Ypres in 1917
WW1 Memorial to Blencowes at the Marlborough Rd Methodist Church Banbury
LANGEMARCK the site of many battles in WW1 , Albert wounded her in attack on Aug  16 1917