Charles Numn Blencowe MM. [4401]
1892-1962
Father’s Name: Albert Levetus 1866; Oldest Known Ancestor – Albert Levetus 1866 Birmingham.
Mother’s Name: Elizabeth Pratt.
Marriage Dt:`12 Aug 1919 to Ada Violet Reid, Registry Office London.
Kin Comments: Brother Albert Edward served with the 6th Worcester Regt.
Spouse Comments: Ada Violet Reid was born abt 1896 in London
Children: Betty May Blencowe born 1924 in Roseville Michigan USA
Births Sept 1892
Aston Vol. 6d Page 258.
Note: Second name seems to have been Numn but even birth registration is not clear and Charles used singularly in most records, one exception Marriage Cert.
1901 Census Aston Birmingham
- Albert Blencowe 34
- Lizzie Blencowe 40
- Albert E Blencowe 9
- Charles N Blencowe 8
1911 Census 2 Sheffield Road Baldmere Road Erdington
- Blincawe (Blencowe) Charles Bread, Biscuit, Cake Maker 18
1913 Emigration to Canada
- 28 Feb. Charles recorded travelled from Liverpool to Halifax Nova Scotia on the ship RMS Victorian. He lists his occupation as Labourer, not Cakemaker as per the english 1911 census.
RMS Victorian the world’s first turbine-powered ocean liner. She was designed as a transatlantic liner and mail ship for Allan Line and launched in 1904. Wikipedia.
WW1
Blencowe Charles Numn, 1892, Birmingham, Private, 123103, 70th and 18th Bn.s Infantry Regiment CEF.
1915
- 31st Aug. Enlisted with CEF Infantry at London Ontario, Occupation: Farmer.1
1916
- 26th Apr. Charles departs for England on the SS Lapland arriving in Liverpool, some time spent training with the 39th Bn. and then transferred back to the 18th Bn.
- 28th Aug. Joins the 18th Battalion Canadian Infantry with the 4th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Canadian Division.
- 16th Sept. Posted to the front line in Tara Valley camp and joined 18th Bn. as one of 24 reinforcements.
- 15th -22nd Sept. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette. In reserve. 21st marched to La Vicogne and then on to St Omer.
- 26th-28th Sept. Thiepval Ridge. In reserve around Albert, some battalions of the 2nd Canadian Division took part.
- 1st Oct. Regina Trench attack. At night Bn. relieved 21st Bn. in line in front of Courcelette. On 1 October the 2nd Canadian Brigade attacked Regina Trench at 3:15 pm On the far right of the assault the 18th and 20th Bn.s of the 4th Brigade suffered under unceasing machine gun fire,.. the two Bn.s pushed 500m into the enemy territory, during a miserable night the two Bn.s with some help beat back a German counter-attack leaving the Canadians in charge of the front but they had not to capture Regina Trench.3
Desire and Regina trenches. 18th November 1916. The Attack on Desire Trench The attack on Desire Trench was at dawn in conjunction with the Canadians on the right and the 19th Div. on the left. - 2nd Oct. Bn. advanced 500yds and dug the new trench and held position taken. some casualties.
- 3rd Oct. Bn. moved to reserve at Sausage Valley.
- 16th-21st Nov. The Bn. relieved 20th Bn. in line in front of the Calonne II sector.
1917
- 9th Apr – 16th May. Battle of Arras – Vimy Ridge.
- 8th Apr. Take up position E. of u with about 600 men.
- 9th Apr. At 5:30 am advanced simultaneously with artillery fire the Bn. met with little resistance and took the first line trench with little opposition, then moved on to capture the Blackline objective by 6:05 am. Casualties 2 Officers, 40 ORs killed and 120 wounded.
- “The attack on Vimy Ridge opened with the thunderous roar of the 983 guns and mortars supporting the Canadians. In the right centre of the Corps attack, Major-General Burstall’s 2ndDivision, advancing on a 1400-yard front with four battalions forward (the 18th and 19th Battalions of the 4th Brigade (Brig.-Gen. R. Rennie) and the 24th and 26th Battalions of the 5th Brigade (Brig.-Gen. A. H. Macdonell), had much the same experience. Walking, running and occasionally jumping across no man’s land, the men followed closely the whitish-grey puffs that marked the exploding shrapnel of the barrage. Cooperating aeroplanes swooped low sounding their klaxon horns and endeavouring to mark the progress of the troops in the driving snowstorm. As we have seen, the eight tanks attached to the Division had been unable to negotiate the grip less mud and the deep shell craters and were left behind early in the battle, as on other sectors of the front, only timely acts of individual daring and initiative kept the advance moving. The 18th Battalion realised their goal within 45 mins. of going over the top”. 2
- 10- 13th Apr. Consolidating and holding the front line.
- 14th Apr. The battalion was relieved by the 24th Can. Bn. and goes to billets at Bois des Alleux
- 15th-25th Aug. Hill 70. Lens In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
- 15th Aug. The 18th Bn. in conjunction with other 1st and 2nd Div units at 4:25 am attacked from the front line (map ref. N13 a.9.6 to N7 d.70.15) towards Chicory trench which they captured after 26 min. and little affected opposition.
- Shortly afterwards the Germans broke back into the line they had captured, but again the 18th with the aid of Artillery retook these parts of the captured line.
- 16th Aug. The 18th Bn. ordered to attack trenches between Lens-Grenay and the Lens- St. Pierre railway lines. But after reconnoitre, the plan was changed.
- 17th Aug. The attack took place and Cotton Trench was captured but attempts to go further forward were not tenable. The enemy was building defences in the housing of Lens making success much more difficult.
- 18th Aug. German Artillery barrages through the day but no counter-attack.
- 19th Aug. The Bn. was relieved by the 50th Bn. Can Inf.
15th-25th Aug. 1917 Hill 70. Lens In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France - Summary overview from Nicholson “Undercover the barrage and the thick oil smoke the Canadians advanced rapidly, overwhelming trench garrisons as they went. In the more difficult sector on the right, the brigades of Major-General Burstall’s 2nd Division made their way through the debris of Cite St. Edouard and Cite St. Laurent without losing pace. Within twenty minutes, both divisions were on the Blue Line, having covered an average distance of 600 yards. Another twenty minutes passed while the 18th and 21st Battalions of the 4th Brigade made of Chicory Trench a defensive flank facing the northern edge of Lens; the 20th then resumed the advance through the ruins of Cite Ste. Elisabeth to secure the remainder of Commotion Trench”.2
- 28th Oct. Home Leave. Charles was given a well-earned rest period and he returned on leave to England for 10 days.
- 2nd Nov. Battle of Passchendaele. The Bn. are based just N. of Zonnebeke and primarily in support of Operations. Note: Charles missed this action.
- Nov. Returned to join Bn. at Villers au Bois, France.
1918
- Most of the year in relatively quiet areas South of Lens and at Neville Vitasse south of Arras.
- 8-18th Aug. Battle of Amiens.
At Cachy SW of Villers Brettoneux. This battle began 8th Aug. when allied armies began what was at first a very successful offensive since the rapid advance outran the supporting artillery and ran short of supplies. When the assault went in at 4:20 a.m., with the 18th Battalion on the right and the 19th next to the railway, the mist, as it had done in other sectors, prevented the tanks (of the 14th Tank Battalion) from giving immediate support. Within half an hour, however, these were well on their way and doing a good job of helping to knock out hostile machine guns. Early in its advance on the 4th Brigade’s right a company of the 18th Battalion (which found its tank support “one of the finest features of the day”) was able to aid the 14th Battalion (of the 1st Division) in the capture of Morgemont Wood, which lay south of the inter-divisional boundary. A number of machine guns fell into Canadian hands, and by the time the 18th Battalion reached the Green Line, it had overrun a battery of 5.9-inch howitzers and another of 77-millimetre guns.2 On the 16th Aug. The 19th Battalion, reinforced by companies of the 18th and the 20th, occupied Fransart, between Fouquescourt and Hattencourt.2
- 26-30th Aug. The Battle of the Scarpe. This was the last action Charles was involved in. The Canadian Corps advanced over 5 kilometres and captured the towns of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt.
- 26th -29th Aug. Charles Wounded at the Battle of Arras.
Google Earth view, showing the 18th Battalions attack on Vis -en -Artois and the route that Charles took when he was wounded - 26th Aug. 18th Bn. Jumped off from Tilloy Trench (SE of Monchy le Preux). By 8 am both the Minorca trench and Southern Avenue trench had been taken. 1 pm the 18th Bn. ordered to capture the Village of Guimappe. By 4:00 pm.the ruined town was captured. casualties from Machine Gun and Artillery was heavy. By 11:00 pm. that day Rake, Gordon and finally Cavalry trenches were taken. 10 killed and 15 wounded.
- 27th Aug. The 18th and 20th Bns. attacked Villers Cagincourt at 10:00 am. By noon the Vis en Artois and Sensee River had been reached. 10 killed 150 wounded.
- 28th Aug. Sensee River Line. At 12:30 pm. Heavy casualties were suffered in the advance along the Sensee River, machine gun nests and wire being equally heavy. Under heavy fire, the Bn. had to withdraw to a line in the sunken road fronting the German line and east of the Sensee. 10 killed and 70 wounded.
First Battle of the Scarpe. Stretcher cases awaiting transport to a Casualty Clearing Station lie on the ground outside a dressing station IWM In this fighting either on the 27th or 28th Charles was shot in the left thigh and the scrotum, he was taken to the 7th Casualty Clearing Station at Ligny St. Flocel.
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- 29th Aug. The Bn. relieved by 8th Bn. Cdn Inf.
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Col. G. W. L. Nicholson writes in his history of the Canadian war; “The proposed relief of the 2ndand 3rd Canadian Divisions was postponed, and both were ordered to continue the advance on 28th August with the object of breaching the Fresnes-Rouvroy line and capturing Cagnicourt, Dury and Etaing. The fighting on the 28th, a day warm and bright after much rain during the night, was extremely bitter and accompanied by heavy losses.” 2
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- 31st Aug.-4th Sept. Admitted to 34th General Hospital, Auberge and his testicle removed and then readied for shipping to England.
- 5th Sept. Invalided back to England.
- 7th Sept. Admitted Royal Herbert Hospital Woolwich.
- 10th Sept – 4th Nov.. 1918. 16th Canadian General Orpington.
- 5th Nov. Charles was taken on strength of the 4th Reserve Bn. where he remained until 3rd Mar 1919 he was transferred to the No 1 MD Kinmel Park dispersal station.
1919
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- 14th Mar. Embarked for Canada.
- 6th May. Charles was discharged at London Ontario.
Sources
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- Complete Service Records.
- Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War. Col. G.W.L. Nicholson.
- At The Sharp End -Tim Cook.
- War Diary of the 18th Bn. Canadian Infantry.
- 18th Bn. Canadian Infantry Blog.
More Reading:
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- Canadian Great War Project.
- Complete war diaries of the 18th Bn. CEF.
- Chapter: Through the Hindenburg Line to Cambrai. Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War. Col. G.W.L. Nicholson.
Medals
No mention of his medals apart from the Military Medal, however, entitled to The 1914-1915 Star, British and Victory medals and the Canadian War Service Badges -Army Class A badge.
Class A badge criteria; Members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) who served at the front and had retired or relinquished their commissions, been honourably discharged, or returned to or retained in Canada on duty.
Charles was also entitled to wear one wound stripe on his dress uniform. Note: Canadian soldiers wore a stripe similar to the British but with different regulations.
Charles was awarded the Military Medal for his act of bravery on 27 Aug 1918 in the Scarpe Offensive.
Library and Archives Canada, Name: Blencowe, C.N. Rank: Private, Regimental or Service Number: 123103, Medal/Honour/Award: MM – Military Medal, Event/Time Period: 1900-1969, Volume: 6 Reference / Accession Number: 2004-01505-5
After the War
April 1920 Crossed the border to the USA with his wife
There is evidence in the 1921 census that Charles was finding work hard to come by and this trip may well have been driven by that circumstance as it’s also possible his eventual move to the USA might have been for a work opportunity.
1921 Census of Canada.
42 Walnut St London Ontario
Charles age 27 Labourer year of immigration to Canada given as 1911 (also indicates unemployed for some months in 1920)
Ada age 25 no occupation year of immigration to Canada given as 1906
1930 census
Roseville, Detroit, Michigan.
Charles age 36 Auto Factory Inspector
Ada age 32 housewife
Betty May age 6 born in Michigan
Charles answers no to question are you a war veteran this is because it only pertained to US war service.
Charles very likely working at a Ford Auto manufacturing plant.
1940 Became naturalised American.
U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995, NAME: Charles Blencowe, BIRTH: date 1893, CIVIL: Michigan.
1940 Census Tract 887, Roseville, Erin Township, Macomb, Michigan, United States
Charles Blencowe M 47 England
1957

Record Type: | Claim |
Birth: | July 27 1892 |
Claim Date: | July 8 1957 |
Submission date: | July 5 1957 |
Field Office Address: | ROSEVILLE MI |
Reference Number: | 66200092133 |
Description: | Life claim |
Death 8th Mar 1962 at Roseville, Michigan
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