Blencowe Lawrence C. 1887-1917

Lawrence Cave Blencowe [1463]

KIA 29 June 1917

1887-1917

Father Nm: Charles Edward Blencowe (Rev) [729] born 13.10.1847 c 17.11.1847 Marston St. Lawrence died 15.7.1929 Barton on Sea Hants:

Oldest known ancestor – Rev. Samuel Jackson Blencowe, 1754, Stisted Essex.

Mother Nm: Katherine Elizabeth Walcot born 1848 Kempsey, Worcestershire, died 1926 Marston St Lawrence.

Marriage Dt: 20 Apr 1914 St Martins Church, Scarborough.

K comments:

WW1:Brother Oswald Charles KIA and brothers Arthur John W. and William James were wounded in action. Sister Magery Edith S. was a Red Cross VAD during the war.

.WW2: Son Lawrence Walcot served with the Royal Engineers.

Photograph from the Collection of Peter Belncowe shows the family gathered at Marston St Lawrence while not clearly identifiable building it’s very likely this was at the Vicarage (Called Glebe Hse in 2021)

Spouse Comments: Dorothy Priestley Cooper. born 2 Apr 1890 Tonbridge Kent died 5 Mar 1955, Lower Agbrigg, Yorkshire West Riding

Children: Edward Arthur Cooper Blencowe (1915-1923 ); Lawrence Walcot Blencowe (15 July 1916- 24 July 1988 ); Oswald James Blencowe [6455] (13 Aug 1917-1988)

(Research): Records Marston St Lawrence Church* GR[B]Brackley Sept 1887 JD 1891. Census*

1891 Census Marston St Lawrence

Charles E Blencowe 43
Katherine E Blencowe 43
Cecilia M Blencowe 13
Marjorie E S Blencowe 7
William J Blencowe 5
Lawrence C Blencowe 3
Oswald C Blencowe 1
Sarah J Gibbard 25
Ellen Lambourne 36
Emma Hunts 17
Elizabeth Prophett 19

1900-1906 St Edwards School, Oxford

School News first records Lawrence at the school in 1900. The school archives are full of the Blencowe’s who took part in all sorts of athletic endeavours while at the school.’Lawrence and brother Oswald excelled at sports bot captaining the school Cricket and Rugby teams in their final years

Three Blencowes in the same team; St Edward’s School, Oxford, Rugby Football XV in 1905..Lawrence is seated centre as captain, on his left is his brother Oswald, cousin Alan is in the front row, second from the left…

1906-1908 Educated at St EdMund Hall, Oxford University

1907 Oxford University Rugby Football XV. Lawrence second from left on the back row was a good Rugby player and that year played in the Oxford versus Cambridge match. One year later he was representing the South of England versus the North at a trial for the England team.

Standing (L-R): Henry Edmunds Latham, Lawrence Cave Blencowe, Arthur Howard, Stephanus Nicholas Cronje, Hugh Martin, Francis Nathaniel Tarr. Sitting: Noel Willoughby Milton, Henry Holland ('Jumbo') Vassall, Harold Augustus Hodges, Worthington Wynn Hoskin (Captain), Randolph Stonehewer Wix, David B.Davies, Geoffrey Dorling ('Khaki') Roberts. On Ground: George Cunningham, Rupert Henry Williamson. — Standing (L-R): Henry Edmunds Latham, **Lawrence Cave Blencowe**, Arthur Howard, Stephanus Nicholas Cronje, Hugh Martin, **Francis Nathaniel Tarr**. Sitting: Noel Willoughby Milton, Henry Holland (‘Jumbo’) Vassall, **Harold Augustus Hodges**, Worthington Wynn Hoskin (Captain), Randolph Stonehewer Wix, David B.Davies, Geoffrey Dorling (‘Khaki’) Roberts. On Ground: George Cunningham, Rupert Henry Williamson.

Note: Three men known to have been killed in the war date of death above each man.

Lawrence was a member also of the Harlequins RFC and Clifton RFC (Bristol) in the years leading up to the war.

1911 Census Scarborough Yorkshire North Riding

Blencowe Lawrence C Assistant Schoolmasters Assistant M 1888 Banbury, Marston 23 The College Filey Rd Scarborough.

Marriage 1914

Banbury Advertiser 1914 — Banbury Advertiser 23 April 1914

The two photos below from an Album shared by family member Peter Blencowe show Lawrence and I think a pregnant Dorothy on a small boat trip in I think about late 1914 or early 1915

WW1

Blencowe Lawrence Cave, 1887, Marston St Lawrence, 2^nd Lieutenant, 5795, West York Regiment, 2/10^th Bn. Liverpool Scottish Regiment.

1914

Enlisted C1914 or before in West Yorkshire Regt. as a Private.
At Army Camp in 1914 at Park Hall, Oswestry referenced playing for rugby team there.
Transferred 2nd /10th Liverpool Scottish.

1915-1916

Postcards and Photos 1915.

Lawrence was in England during 1915-1916. He was at Army Camps and was a Private for most of that time. It seems that in 1915 twice photos were taken of baby Edward once newly born and later at approx 6 months. In sequence then these two photos are taken of his baby son Edward in the early summer 1915, Note the one with baby Edwards his grandmother is sent as a postcard on 6 Dec 1915.

This is from an Album shared by Peter Blencowe. I think photograph taken Summer 1915 , Lawrence at the Army but Dorothy and baby Edward in the Marston Hse Garden

Photograph of the same time and place as one to the left . Made into a Postcard and sent to Lawrence in Army Camp on 6th Dec 1915

There now follows two photographs taken later and before the 6th Dec 1915 as the second is the front of a postcard to brother Oswald who was on his first stint overseas in France.

Lawrence , Dorothy and little Oswald (known as Jay) C1915-16 — Lawrence , Dorothy and son Edward .

Lawrence and unknown soldier and Edward , I presume Dorothy takes this photo.

As a territorial, Lawrence was not mandated to go overseas until the 1916 act that changed these conditions.

From the archives. The passing of the Military Service Act in early 1916 deemed all men to have agreed to serve overseas and when in this case the 57^th Division was available, ie once it was trained. In July 1916 the units of the Division moved to the Aldershot area, being based at Blackdown, Deepcut, Pirbright, Woking, and other places in the vicinity.

15 July . Son Lawrence Walcot is born.

Note: At some time later in 1916 Lawrence was transferred to the 2/10 Battalion of Kings Liverpool (Scottish) Regt. 172nd Brigade, 57th Divison.

1917

2 February. The Officers of 2/10 Bn set sail from Folkestone Lawrence was still to get his commission but was an Officer Cadet on this journey to the front. On arriving in Boulogne the Officers were to travel to Bailleul by train towards the Belgium border. On arrival at Bailleul, they then took motor lorries to travel to Battalion Headquarters at Bois Grenier.
Journey to Bois Grenier
4 February Lawrence and 2/10 Bn officers got their first view of life in the trenches as they were assigned to the New Zealand 2nd Canterbury Battalion for orientation.
7^th-22^nd Feb. Landed in France and completed concentration at Merris on 23 February 1917. The six second-line Territorial battalions of the Kings Regiment ie 2/5^th, 2/6^th. 2/7^th, 2/8^th, 2/9^th and 2/10^th of the 57^th Division had in the meantime, in February settled down to trench warfare first in the Fleurbaix sector, later extending its line northwards as far as Armentieres some 14.5kms of front for several months the brigades held the front line trenches.
29 February. The 2/10th Bn go into the trenches in front of Bois Grenier
1^st Mar. Promoted from Officer Cadet to Temp 2^nd Lieut. London Gazette 17^th March.
Mar- Jun. Trenches in spells at Bois Grenier.
27^th Jun. A raid by Germans on the 2/10^th carried out from Bridoux Salient,
29^th Jun. Killed in Action Bois Grenier. In response to the previous German raid, Lawrence lead the ‘C” company in a daylight raid just south of Bois Grenier (towards the Bridoux Salient) on the afternoon of 29th June 1917, It met with determined resistance from the enemy and although successful in gaining a foothold in the German line, met with heavy casualties in the enemy trenches and on the return to the British front line. As a result of this action, Lawrence was killed. The memorial to the men of the 2nd battalion is placed in a landscaped area about 1km south of Bois Grenier.¹
Click on the trench map of Bois Grenier.

Known as ‘Dicky’s Dash’, named after Captain Alan Dickinson MC., the ‘C” Company raid carried out towards the German trenches at Bois-Grenier on the afternoon of 29th June, was a defeat with heavy casualties for both sides. The memorial to the men of the 2^nd battalion is placed in a landscaped area about 1km south of Bois Grenier.

Report from “History of the Kings…” for 29^th June. “Zero hour was fixed at 15:50 hrs.”“At zero plus 7 to 30. the bombing party formed a block at the entrance to Index Drive, and the remainder proceeded up the support line where considerable resistance was encountered. Second -Lieut. Blencowe in charge of the party, was last seen proceeding overland along the outside of the support trench.”³The third phase of the attack 19:30 hrs after the zero hour was when Lawrence is reported to have disappeared note this is later than the time reported by The Liverpool Scottish Museum Trust above.

1918

Lawrence’s father writes to the Red Cross and in August they still can’t confirm what’s happened to him, however, a number of eyewitness accounts are communicated to the family.
- From Pte A Richardson 151648 12.12.17 of the same unit at Friedrichsfeld “Killed June 29^th 1917, saw him fall after being shot.”
- From Sgt. A G MacKenzie 152073 at Bayreuth. “Pte Kilburn, 11^th platoon “C” Coy informed me that during the action that 2^nd Lieut. Blencowe had been killed. He stated that he was with this Officer when he was killed.”
13 August. Son Oswald James is born in Scarborough.

Sources

The Liverpool Scottish Museum Trust.
The 2/10th (Scottish) Bn. The King’s (Liverpool Regiment) served in France and Flanders from February 1917 until its amalgamation with the 1st Battalion in Spring 1918. Long Long Trail.
History of the Kings (Liverpool) regiment 1914-1919 Vol 1,II &III by Everard Wyrall.
Liverpool Scottish visit to Belgium and France in 2005.
Marston St Lawrence Photograph Album

Medals

Awarded British and Victory medals.

In about 1921-22 Dorothy would have received a Plaque (engraved with her name ) and a Scroll signed by the King.
In addition, a weekly war widow’s pension for herself and the children would have been paid to Dorothy.

From Blencowe Book

The two brothers, Lawrence and Oswald, are remembered on a memorial on the south wall of Marston Church, under which are these poignant words ‘They died for England. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in death they were not divided’.

Photographs and Statement

Most of these Blencowe family photographs on the page were donated by Peter Blencowe and can be used if a license for re-use is granted. Apply to this editor for a license .

Note: In the case of non-commercial purposes the license is likely to be granted. The dates and places of the specific Blencowe photographs are a work in progress and any dates places named are mostly best guesses that may be updated over time.