Blenko Edward H 1897

Edward Henry Blenko  [9774]

Killed in Action 16th Aug. 1917

1897-1917

Father Nm: Edward Henry Blenko [3828] born 22 Sep 1864 Bethnal Green- d 22 Oct 1946 Hackney: Oldest known ancestor – Huett Blencowe, C1720, Wolverton.

Mother Nm: Mary Ann E Pratt, b. 1877 d. 24 Sep 1943

Marriage Dt:

K comments: WW1: Brother Thomas Richard served with the East Kents and the Fusiliers. 

WW2: James Alfred followed his dead brother into the Royal Fusiliers and was wounded and captured in Italy in 1943

Spouse comments:

Children:

Baptism Date 29 Aug 1897

Location South Hackney Christ Church, London, England.

1901 Census 13 Victoria Grove, S Hackney
  1. Edward H Blenko 36 Capstan Man Rlwy Man
  2. Mary A E Blenko 24
  3. Edward H Blenko 3
  4. Thomas R Blenko 2
  5. Mary Blenko 4 Months
1911 Census 13 Victoria Grove, S Hackney
  1. Blenko Edward Capstan Railway Man  46
  2. Blenko Edward H  13
  3. Blenko Eliza 5
  4. Blenko Ellen  9 Months
  5. Blenko Emma 8
  6. Blenko Harry  6
  7. Blenko Mary 10
  8. Blenko Mary Mother  85
  9. Blenko Mary Ann 34
  10. Blenko Thomas R  12
  11. Blenko Walter H 2
  12. Blenko William A  9

London Regiment Royal Fusiliers

WW1

Blenko Edward Henry, 1897, Hackney, Private, 4608, 281935, 1/4th City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Synopsis

Edward volunteered to serve in June 1915 and after initial training, he was sent to France in October 1915. In the space of a few days in France, his regiment transferred division twice. With the 47th Division, they wintered in the Hulluch Sector west of Arras. Early 1916 the Regiment transferred again (to the 56th Division ) and by spring, Edward was training in the Doullens area for his first battle in mid-summer 1916 at Gommecourt. After surviving this battle he was moved further away from the front line for a rest near Abbeville. This wasn’t to last long though, as he was sent in September to the Somme for front line duty and several battles that took part therein Sept-Oct 1916.  In November he went north to the Laventie front line west of Armentieres where he stayed until March 1917. Then a return to his starting point for the time in France ie Doullens before in the summer going to Belgium for his last battle near Ypres. Edward’s death was one of 332 that occurred in the eighteen months that he served with the 1st/4th  London Regiment. (see a map of Edward’s movements in the war).

1915
  • Jun. Enlisted as a Territorial soldier in June with the 1/4th Bn. London Regiment at Shaftesbury St. in City Rd. Note Edwin Thrussell 4606 joined 22nd June 1915.
  • 25th Oct. Entered France and joined the 1/4th Bn. who had been in France since January 1915. The Battalion had just been the subject of a re-organisation and was to be moved as the 3rd (Lahore) Division was to be sent to India.

  • 11th Nov. The 1/4th Bn. transferred to 137th Brigade in 46th (North Midland) Division.1

  • 15th Nov. The 1/4th Bn. transferred to 140th Brigade in 47th (2nd London) Division.1

1916
  • In the period of his arrival in France from Oct 1915 until early February 1916, the Regiment spent most of its time in the trenches in the Hulluch sector resting for one month (of that period) in the Tillers area— in villages such as Auchel, Allouagne, Burbure. On November 6th the Lord Mayor of London paid a visit to his citizens in the Hulluch sector and was taken as far forward as the reserve battalion in the old German hue near Posen Station.
  • 9th Feb. The 1/4th Bn. transferred to 168th Brigade in 56th(London) Division.1

  • 12th Mar. The 56th Division moved to the Area between Doullens and St. Pol the 1/4th Bn. specifically were at Beaufort in mid-March .6
  • Apr-Jun. This period spent training and readying the division for the attack at Gommecourt.
  • 1st Jul. The diversionary attack at Gommecourt Gommecourt terrain

    • At 9.00 am the men of A and C Companies, 1/4th Londons left the battered British front lines and moved stolidly towards the German lines in an attempt to bolster the floundering Rangers’ attack. Left leaderless in the first few minutes, a few men reached the German trenches where they were either killed or captured. There was now a hole in the middle of the 56th Division’s attack where the Rangers should have been. Forced to left and right away from the machine guns of Nameless Farm they were now left desperately defending small sections of German trench under constant attack from larger and better armed German bombing parties.

    • Early Afternoon; Isolated parties were all that was left of these battalions and under pressure from heavily armed bombing parties of the 170th Regiment they were forced back towards the first German line. ..Another attempt at reinforcement by D Company, 1/4th Londons was swept away by shrapnel and high explosive a few yards into No Man’s Land.

    • By 2.30 pm the attack was over. Men of the two battalions (Rangers and 1/4th’s) trickled back from the German lines, rushing from shell hole to escape. Those unable to escape were killed or made prisoner. Casualties were high with 53 men killed. 5th Aug. In Billets at Le Plessiel.

  • 3rd Sept. Moved forward to the Corbie Area. The Battalion left Le Plessiel in the afternoon of the 3rd, marching to St Riquier, where it entrained for Corbie and came under orders of XIV Corps. To billets at Vaux sur Somme.

  • 4th Sept. Marched forward and concentrated at the Citadel near Bray.

  • 3-10th Sept. The Battle of Ginchy. battle of Givenchy 1-4th Londons (1) On 3rd Sept. Ginchy was seized, as well as Guillemont; but the former could not be retained
    in face of the immediate German counter-attacks, and after three days’ struggle the greater part of the village reverted to the enemy. Preparations for a further attack upon Ginchy continued without intermission, and at 4.45 p.m. on 9 th Sept. the attack was reopened on the whole of the Fourth Army front. At four o’clock a heavy enemy barrage was put down on the assembly
    trenches of the 1/4th Londons in Leuze Wood, but the battalion went forward at zero in six waves. In little over an hour, the battalion captured its objectives and
    pushed out two advanced posts to positions overlooking Morval-Lesbceufs road. The Rangers were not in touch on the left flank, and a strong point was established; and during the night the advanced posts were connected up and manned by Lewis guns. 5
    The assault in the south by the 56th Division and the 16th Division reached Bouleaux Wood but the attack in the centre was repulsed. Ginchy was captured by the 16th Division and several German counter-attacks were defeated.

    • 6th Sept. Into trenches at Casement Trench (during this move a large bomb wounded 2 Officers and 19 OR’s). The 1/4th Bn. in support of the London Scottish in the front line in the night the Bn. moved forward to strengthen the front line,

    • 7th Sept. the Battalion suffered a good many casualties, chiefly among ration and water-carrying parties. In the afternoon the Bn. moved sideways to take up positions in Leuze Wood.

    • 9th Sept. Battalion attacked along with the 168th Bde. and advanced to Beef Trench.

    • 10th. The Bn. ordered to retreat to Bully Trench. Casualties for the five days were 22 Officers and 250 Other Ranks.

  • 15-22nd Sept. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette.

    • At 9 a.m., the 1/4th Londons left their bivouacs in Angle Wood Valley and moved forward in artillery formation towards the battle position on the crest between the north edge of Leuze Wood and the west face of Bouleaux Wood. Progress was not rapid owing to the heavy state of the ground, and under the German shell fire, a good many casualties were sustained.

    • 10th Sept. The attack on Bouleaux Wood was called off and the 1/4th Londoners returned to their bivouacs in Angle Wood Valley.

    • 18th Sept. Attached to the 167th Bde the 1/4th Londoners were once again asked to attack Bouleaux Wood. But progress was slow badly affected by the quagmire of mud that they failed to reach the assembly point and were to return to their bivouacs. Sustained casualties from shell fire.

  • 25-27th Sept. The Battle of Morval in which the Division captured Combles

    • At 4.30 p.m. on the 24th Sept. the battalion marched from Casement Trench to occupy positions of assembly, reaching the 7th Middlesex in the Gropi-Ranger system as follows;

      • C Company ” Left front, in Ranger Trench.

      • B Company ” Right front, in Gropi Trench, and the small communication trench leading forward to Ranger Trench.

      • D Company ” Support, in Gropi Trench.

      • A Company ” Reserve, in the southern part of Gropi Trench and Middle Copse.

    • 25th Sept. The Battalion reached its objectives in the northern fringe of the Wood with little opposition, and with slight loss, killing a large number of Germans in the western edge of the Wood. A great many of the enemy were also put to flight.

    • 26th Sept. Boleaux Woods and Combles was finally taken.

  • 28th Sept. The Bn. now marched from Casement trenches to Ville sur Ancre

  • 1-9th Oct. The Battle of the Transloy Ridges.

    • 1-2nd Oct. In reserve in Trones Wood.

    • 3rd Oct. Sent forward as working parties to prepare trenches for the beginning of the attack. The weather and terrible conditions of the trenches severely hindered preparation for the attack. In addition, previous loss of experienced Officers meant 9 were to be in their first leadership role in the battle. The Bn position Shamrock trench, about 50 yards east of the sunken road leading from Lesboeufs to Morval.

    • 7thOct. The attack of the 7th October was for the purpose of advancing the line some 1400 yards farther down the reverse slope of the Main Ridge, in order to provide a suitable “jumping off” line for a further offensive to be launched later against the fourth German line in front of Le Transloy, which guarded the Bapaume-Peronne Road. The attack however floundered badly in the mud and the German counter-attack drove the Bn. to withdraw to Trones Wood. 300 Casualties were sustained.

  • Nov-Dec. Laventie. In trenches in 4 day spells.

1917
  • 1st Jan. Laventie-Moated Grange Sector. The 1/4th in reserve billets at Riez Bailleul.

  • 9th Jan. The Bn. took over from the Kensingtons the right subsection of the Moated Grange sector. the lines on a frontage of some 1400 yards to a point opposite the village of Mauquissart which lay just within the German lines.

  • 26th Jan. The Bn.was relieved by the 1/8thMiddlesex withdrew to rest billets at La Gorgue, the 168th Brigade having passed into Divisional reserve.

  • 5th Mar. The Bn. relieved the Kensingtons in the left subsection of Ferme du Bois.

  • 9thMar. Bn. relieved by 6thDuke of Wellington’s Regiment (49thDiv.). On relief it withdrew to billets at Bout Deville, marching the following morning to Merville, where the Brigade entrained for the Le Cauroy area. Detrainment took place at Doullens and the Bn.marched some six miles to billets at Le Souich.

  • 16thAug. Killed in Action, Battle of Langemarck (Third Battle of Ypres).

    The key locations of 16th August 1917 overlaid on a modern street map
    The key locations of 16th August 1917 overlaid on a modern street map

    The object was to advance to Polygon Wood from Surbiton Villas (to the north of Inverness Copse) through Glencorse & Nonne Boschen Woods. Contact planes reported that flares had been seen to the southwest of the racecourse in Polygon Wood and that troops were digging in, but later in the day an untimed and unsigned carrier pigeon message giving ‘we are surrounded’ was received. The attack by the 1/4th London Regt (Fusiliers) had been stopped in their tracks by a curtain of machine-gun fire from carefully sited and hidden positions in Inverness Copse. Edward Henry fell along with at least 399 others who died that day. There are 390 British and 10 Australian soldiers remembered at the Menin Gate memorial who died 16 Aug 1917. High Command in the planning of this operation had presumed that the Germans in Inverness Copse would retreat under the attack a presumption that was fatal for Edward Henry and large numbers of men from the 56thDivision as machine gunners in the copse scythed down men advancing and retreating from the battle.1 Some idea of the situation facing Edward Henry on the 16th can be got from this extract from the book Poor Bloody Infantry. “On we walked over tree trunks, shell holes and debris – my No. 2 with two magazines had disappeared. No shells were falling near as our barrage had lifted. It was a marvellous sunrise and I remember the huge red ball of the sun resting on the top of a distant pillbox. On we walked through the truncated wood, but the machine-gun fire rose to a crescendo and we seemed to be walking through a curtain of bullets. It was really devastating and chaps were dropping all over the place. There must however be no stopping even to look for anyone wounded. Capt. Harper came rushing by with his arm smashed up and he shouted something about going back, it was hopeless, we were surrounded. Somehow, however, we just went on walking. I suddenly was alone, and I changed direction to make for a shallow shell hole. As I did so, a bullet ripped through the case of the Lewis gun and it nearly swung me over but I made it. The nearest men visible to me appeared to be another Lewis gun team, at least I thought I saw a Lewis gun and they were possibly some three hundred yards or so away and I saw them disappear into a shell hole. I could see no one else.”

Sources
  1. The Long, Long Trail The British Army in the Great War, 1914-1918. @ http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com .1

  2. Poor Bloody Infantry by W.H.A. Groome.

  3. The war history of the 4th Battalion, the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), by Captain F. Clive Grimwade.

  4. Gommecourt 1st July 1916.

  5. The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War.
  6. History of the Fifty-Sixth Division by Maj C H Dudley Ward.

Medals

Awarded 1914-15 Star, British and Victory medals. In about 1921-22 Mother Mary Ann would have received the King’s Scroll and Plaque a memorial and thank you from a grateful nation.

Memorial

Ypres (MENIN Gate) Memorial, Panel Reference, Panel 52.J.J tomblin filey

Son of Mr and Mrs E. H. Blenko, of 13, Morpeth Grove, Morpeth Rd., South Hackney, London.

GALLERY