Ernest Edward Blencowe [4276]

1888-1957

Father Nm: Richard Blencowe [3843] born 1865 Kings Sutton (Brackley J.Q.); Oldest Known Ancestor – John Blencowe, 1807, Kings Sutton.

Mother Nm: Hannah Lines [8926] born 1.2.1870 Tamworth Hannah died Sep q 1953 Lichfield aged 50

Marriage: 1909 Marriage to Laura Ada Atkins, Tamworth, Staffordshire Volume Number: 6b Page Number: 762.

Spouse Comments: Laura Ada Atkins 1885-1954.

K: Brother Richard served with Royal Warwickshire Regiment;

Children:

Note: spelling of the name appears to fluctuate between Blencowe and Blencoe;

(Research): GR[B] Brackley Dec 1888;

1891 Census Dosthill, Warwicks;

1. Richard Blencowe 26 Ag labourer
2. Ernest E Blencowe 2

1901 Census Balfour Villa, Kingsbury Warwicks

1. Richard Blencowe 36 Ore Miner Hewer
2. Hannah Blencowe 31
3. Earnest Blencowe 12
4. Edith Blencowe 9
5. Annie Blencowe 7
6. Beatrice Blencowe 6
7. Richard Blencowe 4
8. Minnie Blencowe 11 Months

1904-Before 1911 North Staffordshire and Worcestershire Rgts

• 2^nd Apr 1904. Enlisted in 4^th North Staffs Regiment. Age 17 yrs and 6 months, Occupation: Clerk, born Kings Sutton Banbury, Living in the town of Holt Kingsbury, Tamworth, Staffs. Attestation soldier number: 6120.
• 5^th Sept 1904 transferred to Worcestershire Regiment the period of service commitment was 6yrs and 6yrs in reserve from 2 April 1904. i.e. service until April 1910. This explains why Ernest is home in the 1911 Census.
• Discharge Corps: North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince Of Wales’s) – 64^th & 98^th Foot Discharge soldier number: The National Archives reference: WO96 / 1039 / 203.

This would mean Ernest was with the 2^nd Bn. Worcestershire’s in Ceylon from 1904-1906 then to Bombay and India stations in Dec 1906, they were in India (Ahmednagar, Jhansi) until discharge in April 1910;

1911 Census

1. Blencoe Annie Dau 18
2. Blencoe Elsie Dau 9
3. Blencoe Ernest Son Boarder Colliery Weigh Clerk 22
4. Blencoe Hannah Wife 41
5. Blencoe Horace Son 2
6. Blencoe Laura Dau In Law Boarder 26
7. Blencoe Minnie Dau 11
8. Blencoe Richard Head Farm Labourer 46
9. Blencoe Richard Son Farm Labourer 14

1912 Emigrated to Australia;

Name: Ernest Blencoe Date of departure: 19 July 1912 on the ship Athenic bound for New Zealand a clerk age 24yrs of age. Details from ships record Find My Past;

Port of departure: London Passenger, Date of Birth: 1888 (calculated from age)Age: 24, Marital status: Interestingly blank (see later record of desertion in NSW), Sex: Male Occupation: Clerk Passenger recorded on Page 2 of 20, Report transcript error Ship: Athenic Victoria, Australia. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923.

Name Mr E Blencoe, Estimated Birth Year: abt 1888, Age: 24, Arrival Date: 7 Sept 1912.

Arrival Port: Melbourne, Australia, Departure Port: Hobart, Ship: Manuka, Nationality: English.

	North Staffordshire Regiment	Worcestershire Regiment

WW1

Blencowe Ernest Edward, 1888, Brackley, Sergeant, 8637, 4^th North Staffordshire Regiment, D Coy. 2^nd Worcestershire Regiment;

Synopsis

Having left the army in 1910 Ernest had committed to serving for a longer period if required and even though he emigrated to Australia in 1912 was asked to return to serve at the outbreak of war. In a long war, he seems to have been relatively unscathed and was able to return to Australia at its end. Note Ernest served in the 2^nd battalion alongside Sergeant Harry Blincow from Tipton.

It is suspected that Ernest did not serve overseas in 1916 and in fact joined the field force in November 1917 as the medical record of February 1918 suggests that, at that time of admission he had only been 3 months in the field force. But for the sake of this medical record being incorrect all possible events have been included in his war history.

1914

• Ernest returns to England from Australia to rejoin the 2^nd Bn. Worcesters;

  

1915

• 11^th Jan. Transported to France. This was after the main 2^ndBn. had embarked on 14^th Aug 1914, so Ernest was probably reinforcements for men lost to fighting between Aug. and Dec. 1914
• 10^th Mar-15^th Apr. The Attack On Givenchy. On the front of the 2^nd Division, the attack was delivered on March 10^th by the 6^th Brigade along the northern bank of the La Bassée Canal. The 2^nd Worcestershire, in the trenches on the southern bank of the canal, did not actually take part in the attack but took over front line trenches on 22^nd-30^th Mar. and 7^th -15^th Apr. Casualties 4 killed, 9 wounded.¹
• 15^th – 16th May^th. Festubert. A failed attack at night on the German trenches left many wounded and dead. Six men of the 2^nd conspicuous in their bravery after the attack had failed to help the wounded to get back to their line. Casualties reported 26 killed and 98 wounded.¹
• 25^th Sept.- 13^th Oct. Battle of Loos.The largest battle of WW1 and ultimately a very heavy defeat. General Haig mistakenly thought this would be a great victory (even one to end the war) but without the planning, adequate Artillery fire and specific target maps of advancement. Haig thought the first use of the gas by the British would devastate the Germans but it did not. The British had 60,000 casualties compared to the German’s 26,000 which in itself tells of the outcome. The BEF commander Gen. Sir John French lost his command as a result of the failure of the battle and Haig inherited the role from then on.⁴

  

  On the second day of the great Battle of Loos, the 2^nd Worcestershire were ordered to carry out a desperate attack to retake the lost Quarries at Cite St.Elie. The whole Battalion with bayonets fixed attacked across a thousand yards of the ground swept by fire. After a heroic advance, the survivors of the Battalion seized and consolidated a half-dug German trench close to the enemy’s position. The 2^nd Bn. had lost nearly half of its men 13 officers and more than 300 N.C.O and men. Throughout the 27^th sharp shooting between the trenches. Holding and consolidating the position. 28^th Soaking rain and continuous firing across trenches day and night. At dawn on the 29^th, there was a German attack, the 2^ndWorcesters going over the top to quell the German bombers. ¹

• Oct-Dec. The 2^nd in and out of the line around Bethune and subsequently small actions continually. As winter came severe trench conditions existed and this time saw the introduction of the Lewis Gun and the steel helmet.
  20^th Dec. The whole of the Worcestershire Regiment was reorganised after Loos and subsequently, the 2^nd Bn. was transferred to the 100th Brigade in the 33^rd Division.

1916

• Jan-Feb. La Bassèe Canal; The New Year found the 33^rd Division holding the trenches on both banks of the La Bassèe Canal, and the 2^nd Worcestershire spent January and February either in the line in one or other section of that front, or in billets further back. Casualties suffered during the times in the trenches.¹
• Mar-Jun. Bethune area; In March Ernest writes a letter home from the western front (Bethune area) which is published in the Tamworth Herald on the 6^th Mar. The letter confirms he is with the 2^nd Battalion Worcesters. The War Diary states; The 2^nd continued to spend time in and out of the trenches in this area suffering as they did in Jan and Feb. casualties on a regular basis. In March the losses totalled 4 killed and 17 wounded, on April 2 killed, 1 officer (Captain F. H. Lawrence) and 24 OR wounded, in-May 2 killed and 3 wounded and in June 1 officer (2/Lt. T. H. S. Senior) and 3 OR’s killed and 19 wounded.¹
• 13^th Sept. Admitted to No. 15 Ambulance Train suffering from Stricture Urethra which was treated for 6 days. Ernest was later admitted to the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre. Source; Find My Past Medical Records of WW1. Note with ‘D’ Coy.

• 5^th Nov. Battle of Le Transloy. At 11 am a bombardment and the four companies of the 2^nd Bn. went forward led by ‘D’ Coy. From the front and from the right flank came a hail of bullets from the German machine guns, but the ground was so broken that the platoons afforded no constant target as they struggled down into and up out of the countless shell-holes . . . . “we were like a swarm of rats in a ploughed field” (Lieut. E. P. Bennett). Before that onslaught the German garrisons of “Mirage” and “Boritzka” trenches gave way. Such as surviving the enemy falling back across the broken ground.¹

  

1917

• 21^st/22^nd Apr. The Arras Offensive During the first days of the Arras offensive the 2^nd Worcestershire had remained at Fonquevillers. On the evening of 21^st Apr., the 2^nd Worcestershire had moved forward from “Judas Farm” amid an intermittent bombardment and had once more taken over the outpost line north of Croisilles. Casualties of the 2^nd Worcestershire — Night April 21^st/22^nd. – 3 killed, 2 wounded.¹
• 20^th/21st May. The actions on the Hindenburg Line(Croisilles); All companies attacked the German line north of Croisilles. A thick fog made the attack very difficult but the line was gained and captured after much fighting. The casualties were extremely high nearly half the fighting strength of the Battalion had fallen. The Battalion had gone into action with a “battle strength” of 530 and came out with but 280. Killed 2 officers and 34 other ranks. Wounded 5 officers and 134 other ranks. Missing 73.¹
• 25^th – 27^th Aug. The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge.(Gheluvelt area.)* The Battalion was to relieve troops of the 23rd Division, which had captured Veldhoek. The relief was very difficult, for the German artillery was clearly aware of the movement along the Menin Road, and were putting down a fierce bombardment. Coy B was to lead the way to the trenches Men were hit at every yard as they struggled along the duck-boards among the shell holes. Before the support trenches were reached two-thirds of the company had been killed or wounded. ¹
• 26^th and 27^th Sept. Polygon Wood;* despite a plan for the British to attack the 26^th In fact, the Germans attacked under cover of a heavy bombardment. On the front of the 2^nd Worcestershire, the attack was repulsed without difficulty, and many of the enemy (The German 230th Regiment) were shot down as they advanced from the bare Polderhoek Ridge or struggled up from the bogs of the Reutelbeek. But on the right, the bombardment had achieved more destruction and there the British front line was overwhelmed. ‘A’ Coy with great difficulty made it forward to support ‘B’ Coy. The situation in front remained critical, and Captain W. L. Smith led ‘D’ Company forward, on his own initiative, to assist the defence. The state of the ground made it difficult for the enemy to close, the German attack came to a standstill and about midday the fighting died down.¹

Battles marked * are of part of the Third Battles of Ypres;

• 30 Nov – 3 Dec. Second Battle of Passchendaele. On the 30^th Nov., the 2^nd Worcestershire moved forward up the slope to Passchendaele and over the crest line to the front line immediately east of the ruins of the village, a short way south of the position which the 1st Worcestershire had just left. The 2nd Battalion held those trenches for four days and then was relieved .¹

1918

• 28 February. Sick .Taken to No 5 Casualty Clearing Station at Hotel de Ville ad Ecole de Jeune Filles, Picquigny, then transported on No 23 Ambulance Train to 4th Stationary Hospital at St Omer on the coast. Diagnosed and recorded with venereal disease (VDG)
• Released from the Hospital, but it unsure if Ernest returns to the frontline.