Blencowe Mabel E 1879

Mabel Edith Blencowe [4065]
Mabel Edith Blencowe 1879-1917

poppy

Died of Illness 10th Mar 1917 France
1879-1917

Father Nm: John George 1839 St Mary Magdalen Oxford died Headington Mar 1892- Oldest Known Ancestor: Richard Blincow, C1660, Bicester.

Mother Nm: Emma Young 1855. Newport Wales died 1938 Abingdon

K Comment: Sister Florence Mary Nurse QAIMNS, served in England. Brother Arthur Harold who served with the Oxford and Bucks Light Inf.

(Research):GR[B] Headington Dec 1879 1881, 1891* Census.Army War Deaths [JD].

1891 Census 20 Kingston Rd Oxford
  1. John J Blencowe 51 Baker and Grocer
  2. Emma Blencowe 35
  3. Mabel E Blencowe 11
  4. Walter W Blencowe 8
  5. Lucy A Blencowe 6
  6. George H Blencowe 5
  7. Florence M Blencowe 5
  8. May M Blencowe 10/12
  9. Lydia L Dansby 45

Educated at Hampden House Brill and St Faiths Convent School Oxford

1901 Census 20 Kingston Rd Oxford
  1. Blencowe Arthur Son 9
  2. Blencowe Emma Head Baker and Grocer 45
  3. Blencowe George Son Tailors Asst 15
  4. Blencowe Lucy Dau 16
  5. Blencowe May Dau 10
  6. Blencowe Walter Son Grocers Asst 18
  7. Blencowe Mabel Dau Post Office Clerk 21
  8. Blencowe Florence Dau 13
1911 Census Christchurch Hampshire

Institution Blaeucoe (Blencowe) Mabel F 1881 30 Christchurch Hampshire

Note: This record was found in the 1911 census online and indicates nurse occupation.

Mabel’s sister Florence Mary also seems to have gone to this area before the war and they may well have been at the same private hospital/clinic at some point.

TFNS medal
Territorial Forces Nursing Service
WW1

Blencowe Mabel Edith Nursing Sister T.F.N.S.

1915
  • 3rd Southern Hospital Oxford, Nurse in Training
  • Nurse duty on a Hospital Ship where she was promoted to Nursing Sister.

    Hospital ship interior
1916
  • 21st May. Cleared for Foreign Service.
  • 23rd May. Landed in France.
  • When Mabel arrived in France she was sent to the No 7 Casualty Clearing Station in Merville south of Hazebrouck. The No 7 CCS was based there until 1918.
1917
  • 9thMar. Abbeville.

    Edith moved from the front line at Hazerbrouck to Abbeville
  • Reported ill with Meningitis.
The Casualty Clearing Stations were not good medically sanitised environments and it can only be supposed that Mabel contracted Meningitis because of this a lack of face masks etc.
  • Transported 100kms to No 7 General (Base) hospital and recorded on the Sick list and in War Diary “Received telephone message from Sister Bannister, Sister in charge of 7 CCS, saying that Sister M. E. Blencowe, TFNS had been evacuated to 7 General, seriously ill with Cerebrospinal meningitis. War Office and relatives had been informed. Wired to Matron-in-Chief, War Office and Matron-in-Chief, TFNS, sent copies of wires to DGMS, and arranged for relief to join 7 CCS.”1
  • 10th Mar. Abbeville.
    While Abbeville was well equipped for the treatment of wounds, infections without penicillin was much more of a challenge Abbeville Dressing Station © IWM Q2470

    Sick list: Received wire from No. 7 General Hospital informing us of the death of Sister Blencowe, TFNS. Informed Matron-in-Chief, War Office, and Matron-in-Chief, TFNS and sent copies of all wires to DGMS. Cause Cerebro Spinal Fever – Meningitis1

Death 1917

Name: Sister Mabel E Blencowe, Ref: Volume: O.5 Page: 83

Source: GRO War Death Army Officers Indices (1914 to 1921)

The UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919, Name: Mabel Edith Blencowe, Death Date: 10 Mar 1917, Rank: Sister, Regiment: Territorial Force Nursing Service, Type of Casualty: Died

Friday March 23rd 1917 Oxford Chronicle

Note: Tragically for Mabel’s mother Emma her son Walter Charles (who was probably exempt from service) committed suicide in 1924 at Oxford.

Sources
  1. TFNS War Diaries
  2. Blencowe Mabel Edith TFNS Service Records Mabel E Blencowe Service Records WO-399-704
  3. Family history from Headstone research St Sepulchres Oxford

Medals

Awarded the 1914-15 Star The British and Victory Medals

Awarded 1914-1915 Star, British and Victory medals. Department Of Defence Medal Card

Burial: Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery

Saint-Omer, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, Plot: III. B. 22.

Also remembered at the St Sepulchres Cemetery Oxford
N AFFECTIONATE
REMEMBRANCE OF
JOHN GEORGE BLENCOWE
WHO DIED JAN. 22, 1892
AGED 52 YEARS.
ALSO OF EMMA HIS WIFE
WHO DIED JUNE 4, 1938
AGED 84 YEARS.
ALSO OF
EMMA ELIZA
WHO DIED NOV 7 1875 AGED 1 DAY.
JOHN GEORGE
WHO DIED SEP 15 1878 AGED 3 MONTHS.
ALICE WHO DIED FEB 18 1882 AGED 3 MONTHS.
ALICE META
WHO DIED MARCH 3 1891 AGED 2 YEARS.
CHILDREN OF THE ABOVE.
MABEL EDITH
DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN FRANCE
MARCH 10 1917.
Memorial Royal Garrison Church

Her name was on a marble tablet in the chapel of Queen Alexandra’s Military Hospital, Millbank, London which lists the names of the matrons, sisters and nurses of the military nursing services who died during WW1. The Millbank site was redeveloped and the memorial has been traced to the Royal Garrison Church,

Farnborough Road, Aldershot, Hampshire. CWGC. YMP2. shows as QAIMNS. ODGW . source Jim Strawbridge member Great War Forum

Probate

Blencowe Mabel Edith Of 51 Baynton Rd Oxfords spinster died 10th March 1917 at the 7th Base Hospital France.

GALLERY

Note: there are 13 records that exist for this man that is not shown in the Gallery for copyright reasons.

GALLERY

Note: there are 9 records that exist for this woman that is not shown in the Gallery for copyright reasons.