Blincow John H. 1886

John Henry Blincow [4218]

1886-1943

Known as Harry

Father Nm: Edwin Joseph Blinco [3824] born 1864 Tipton-1906: Oldest known ancestor – Henry Blincow 1709 Kings Sutton.

Mother Nm: Mary Ann Smith [5937] 1864-1903.

Marriage Dt:25 Feb 1915, 19 Howard St Glasgow, Married cousin Nelly Blincow.

K comments: Son Charles [2213] served in WW2 with the Royal Artillery then transferred in 1940 to the Royal Engineers.

John Henry and Nelly Cousins and their respective lines

Spouse comments: Nelly Blincow (Cousin) 1892-1974.

Children: Isabel 1915, Charles 1917 and Gertrude Eleanor 1920

(Research): GR[B] Dudley Sept 1886.

1891 Census Tipton Staffs

Joseph Blencowe 27
Mary Ann Blencowe 27
John Hy Blencowe 4
Gertrude Blencowe 1
Ellen Hodges 16
Thomas Hodges 20
Albert Grace 36

1911 Census

Private 2^nd Bn. Worcestershire Regt. Jhansi, India

Worcestershire Regiment

WW1

Blincow John Henry (Harry), 1886, Tipton, Sergeant, 7850, 2^nd Bn. Worcestershire Regiment.

1903-1914

9^thJul 1903 Enlisted with Worcestershire Regt and was serving when the war broke out.
Harry would have travelled to South Africa in 1903 on enlisting to be with the 2^nd Bn.
22^nd Oct. 1904. The 2^nd Battalion embarked at Durban and disembarked at Colombo on the 5^th November 1904. The battalion spent the next 2 years in Foreign Service in Ceylon.

1905-1906.

The 2^nd Battalion remained in Ceylon. The Battalion was quartered in Colombo, moving to camp at Diyatalawa among the hills for training and musketry.

span lang=”en”>16^th Dec. 1906. The 2^nd Battalion embarked at Colombo, after a few days by the sea the battalion disembarked at Bombay on the 19^th Dec. 1906. The battalion then made their way to Ahmednagar arriving on the 21^st Dec. 1906.
November 1909. The Battalion changed station, moving from Ahmednagar to Jhansi.

1912-1913

In the trooping season of 1912/1913, the 1 and 2 Battalions exchanged roles, the 2 Battalion coming home from India and the 1st Battalion proceeding overseas. They returned to England on the transport “Rewa” and on the 5^th Mar. 1913, the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire landed at Southampton, after a tour of Foreign Service which had lasted more than seventeen years. They were based at Aldershot until 1914 as part of 5^th Brigade, 2^nd Division.

SYNOPSIS

A career soldier with the Worcester Regiment for thirteen years he served until 1916 when he was wounded and subsequently honourably discharged. Note Harry served in the 2^ndbattalion alongside Sergeant Ernest Edward Blencowe from Australia.

1914

August 1914: in Aldershot. Part of the 5^th Brigade with the 2^nd Division.
12^thAug. The 2^nd Battalion Worcestershire received their orders and on the morning of August, 13^ththe 2^nd Battalion marched down to the Government siding at Aldershot and entrained. The two trains which carried the Battalion left Aldershot at 7 am and 8 am respectively and three hours later arrived at Southampton Docks. The two half-battalions were embarked on board the transports “Lake Michigan” and “Herschel.”
14^thAug. Landed at Boulogne and from 21-23^thAug went by train and then marched to the front.
21^st Aug. The 2^nd Worcestershire marched via Etreux to La Groise. Therefore the first time the Battalion had to find outposts — on the bridge at Catillon over the River Sambre. The next morning (22^nd) the 2^ndDivision marched from La Groise by way of Landrecies to Pont-sur-Sambre. There the troops rested and bathed, this was to be the last chance they were to have of either luxury for many a long day.
23^rd Aug. At 1 am the Battalion was roused and assembled in the dark, only to spend a long hour waiting in the road while other troops got into position. Before dawn, the Division moved off, crossed the Belgian frontier, and marched through Malplaquet. They arrived at Bougnies shortly after midday and heard for the first time the distant thunder of guns.
23^rd Aug. – 5^th Sept. the Battle of Mons.
Map of positions of the 2nd Worcs. at Mons. 2nd Division Headquarters had been established at a crossroads on the Mons-Maubeuge road.

On 24^th Aug. the 2^nd Bn. was moved to Tramieres near Mons in order to defend against the German advance in this area. As a readjustment to the lines was underway, the 2^nd Bn. waited by the roadside, battery after battery of artillery galloped past them and the artillery fire in front grew more intense. The 2nd Battalion dug in across a field, on the forward slope of a gentle rise. From their position, they could see the shells bursting over Mons. Houses were burning there, and the flames lit up the sky as dusk came on. A gap in the defensive line of the 3^rd and 5^th Divs. around Frameries occurred and the 2^nd Bn. was called forward to attack. The troops were very tired but marched forward ready for battle only to find Frameries unoccupied by the enemy. The Bn. entrenched overnight. The attack from the enemy came on the 24^th slowly at first but the odds were stacked in favour of the Germans who outnumbered the British by 8 to 4 Divisions. The 2^nd Bn. was ordered to retreat and there were scenes of chaos in the village of Frameries as the inhabitants joined the soldiers as they fled the advance, “The roads were crowded with terrified refugees and with disordered columns of French infantry and guns. The weather was sultry and the men were tired and hungry. Away to the westward could be heard a distant thunder of artillery, the thunder of the battle of Le Cateau.”
The retreat from Mons. Heavily outnumbered and pursued the 2^nd Bn. undertook a 250 km retreat from Frameries to Marles east of Paris.
Retreat from Mons, Detail of the map here. Detail of the retreat here

20^th– 21^st Oct. Langemarck. Fired on from hedge cover as they advanced a confused fight resulted in 18 killed, 39 wounded and 3 missing.
22^nd– 24^th Oct. Battle of Ypres. Marched to the outskirts of Ypres and the first task was the occupation of Pilckem Ridge relieving French territorials. Heavy bombardment for several days relieved by French troops on the 24^th. Casualties on 23^rd Oct were 22 killed 16 wounded and 10 missing.

31^st Oct. Gheluvelt. As the leading men reached the ridge, they came in view of the German guns whose high explosive shells were quickly directed at the charging soldiers. Over 100 of the Battalion were killed or wounded but the rest pushed on and, increasing their speed as they came to the downward slope in sight of Gheluvelt, made the final charge through hedges and onto the Chateau grounds. Here they met the remnants of the South Wales Borderers who had made a heroic stand. The meeting was unexpected, for the Worcesters had believed no soldiers were left. The 2^nd Worcesters had gone into this action with about 370 men of whom 187 were killed or wounded. Gheluvelt had been saved and the line restored. It is rare that the action of one unit can exert such a profound influence as did this now-famous counter-attack.

Note: After the war Harry named his house in Dudley after this battle at Ghevulet, it’s affect on him was profound.

1915

Jan. The 2^nd Bn. took over the defences at Festubert. On 20^th Jan. they relieved the 2^nd HLI in the breastworks of Festubert and from then on through to the end of Feb, the two battalions relieved each other in spells.
25^th Feb. Given home leave, Harry returned to England and was married in Scotland, he was by then a Sergeant in the 2^ndBn. While Harry was away the 2^nd Bn. was moved to the area near Bethune.
10^th Mar-15^th Apr. The Attack On Givenchy. On the front of the 2^ndDivision, 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 Worcesters, in the trenches on the southern bank of the canal, did not take part in the attack but took over front line trenches on 22^nd-30^th Mar. and 7^th -15^thApr. Casualties 4 killed 9 wounded.¹
14^th– 17^thMay. Festubert. In May the 2^ndBn. returned to Festubert and took part in the attack on the town which cost almost 2,000 casualties to the allies. 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.
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 Germans 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.³
Battle of Loos map 25th-26th Sept 1915
Extract from Worcestershire Regiment in the Great War Vol 1-2, Fitz M. Stacke

In 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^ndBn. had lost nearly half of its men 13 officers and more than 300 N.C.O and men. Throughout the 27^thsharp shooting between the trenches. Holding and consolidating position on the 28^thin soaking rain and continuous firing across trenches day and night. At dawn on the 29^th,there was a German attack, the 2^nd Worcesters going over the top to quell the German bombers. On the 29^ththe 2^nd was relieved.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^thDec. The whole of the Worcestershire Regiment was reorganised after Loos and subsequently, the 2^nd Bn. was transferred to the 100th Brigade in 33^rd Division.

It not known when and where Harry was wounded but it may have been at Loos in September but it was 8^th Jan. 1916 before he was discharged unfit to serve because of wounds so he may have sustained a wound after Loos and in a period where there was no great battle but the constant trench warfare of shelling etc.