Thomas John ‘Jack’ Blincow [4388]
1892-1957
Father Nm: Thomas Blinco [3243] c 30.4.1865 Huyton Oldest known ancestor – Thomas Blencow 1836 South Newington.
Mother Nm: Annie Elizabeth Wall [8984] born 16.1.1866 died Dec Q 1949 Crosby
Marriage Dt: 1921 to Minnie Smith, District Prescot, Lancashire, Volume 8B, Page 1147.
K comments:
Spouse Comments: Minnie Smith 1890-1971.
Children: Eileen 1922-, John 1925-2007.
(Research): GR[B] Sutton, Prescot March 1892 GR[D] Prescot Vol, 101 P268 Dec 1957.
Birth 29th Jan 1892
Registered at Prescot but born in Sutton, St Helens.
1901 Census Huyton lane, Huyton with Roby, Liverpool
- T Blincoe 64 Railway signalman
- W Blincoe 34
- C Blincoe 25
- E Blincoe 20
- J Blincoe 7
1907 joined LNW Railway as a Porter
Name T J Blincow, Birth Date: 29 Jan 1892, Residence Date: 12 Aug 1907. Age: 15, Company: London and North Western.
Description: Register of salaried and wages staff in various departments, primarily coaching and police. Includes stationmasters, porters, van drivers, office cleaners, guards, clerks, brakesman, shunters and signalmen. … 1882 – 1911.
1911 Census Blue Bell Lane Huyton
- Annie Elizabeth Wife F 1866 Roby, Lancashire 45
- Edith Alice Dau F 1902 Huyton, Lancashire 9
- Frank Son Butcher Journeyman M 1890 Roby, Lancashire 21
- Hilda Wall Dau F 1905 Huyton, Lancashire 6
- Thomas Head Railway Signalman M 1865 Market Bosworth, Leicestershire 46
- Thomas John Son Railway Porter M 1892 Sutton, Lancashire 19
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Kings Liverpool Rifles |
WW1
Blincow ‘Jack’ Thomas John, 1892, Sutton, St Helens, Private, 30101, 20th, 12th, 1/8th and 1/7th Bns. The Kings Liverpool Regiment.
Medal Roll shows Regiments to be 20th KLR, 12th KLR and 1/8th KLR.
There is a reference to Jack serving with the 17th KLR in the book Liverpool Pals by Graham Maddocks. This is incorrect and should read 1/7th Bn. The 20th Bn. was disbanded in February 1918 and men were distributed amongst the other KLR battalions. We have a Red Cross record that substantiates Jack was with the 1/7th Bn. when captured in September 1918.
It’s logical that Thomas first joined his home town battalion the 20th Battalion, which was formed in Liverpool on 16th October 1914 by Lord Derby, in the old watch factory at Prescot. The 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th battalions “The Liverpool Pals” were the brainchild of Lord Derby to try to get friends and local residents to form into a battalion. The Liverpool Pals were the first of several of these battalions such as the Manchester Pals to form. The cap badge created by Lord Derby shown above was solid silver.
1915

- Nov 1914 -Apr 1915. The 20th Battalion was to train at Knowsley Hall (Lord Derby’s ancestral home).
- 30th Apr. The 20th K.L.R. came under orders of the 89th Brigade, 30th Division.
- May-Oct. All four battalions were transported to Belton Hall near Grantham for final training and preparation. In August the brigade was finally deemed ready for the western front. By early September the 89th Bde was transported to Salisbury Plain for final preparations.
- 7-18th Nov. Departed Folkestone and landed at Boulogne. The 17th,18th 19th and 20th battalions landed forming the 89th Brigade of the 30th Div. After spending a night in camp at Boulogne, the brigade entrained and moved south to the Pont Remy area, the 20th Bn. billeting at Pont Remy, Another move began on the 17th of Nov. when the brigade set out for Flesselles area a two days march. By the night of the 18th Nov., all battalions had reached the destination of the 20th Bn. billeting at Vaux. 4
- 28th Nov. Several days of training followed but on the 28th a move was made to the Ribeaucourt area on the 20th Bn. billeting at Bernaville.4
- 17th-25th Dec. The 20th Bn. marched to Berles-au-Bois for training in the trenches, they incurred 2 casualties in this training before returning to billets at Bernaville .4
1916
- 1st Jan. All four battalions of the 30th Division were out of the front line but in the Somme region the 20th Bn. were billeted at Beaumetz. 4
- 2nd-5th Jan. The 20th Bn. marched to Naours for a short attachment to the 90th Bde. On reaching Naours they continued their march on 3rd to Pont Noyelles, 4th to Sailly Laurette and on the 5th Suzanne.
- 6th-8th Jan. Take over trenches at Maricourt from 1st DCLI. Casualties for the period 1 OR killed and 3 wounded. Throughout Jan they in turn with the 17th Bn.4
- 1st -4th Jul. Wounded at the Battle of the Somme. (in which the Division captured Montauban.) By 03:30Hrs the Bn. was in position on a frontage from Maricourt-Briqueterie road to 100 yards west of the Maricourt to Montauban road. At 07:30Hrs the shrill sounds of whistles echoed all along the line. Over went the men in their new steel helmets, The 20th Bn. was to attack from assembly trenches just north of the village of Maricourt, and its objectives were the German reserve trenches known as Casement and Dublin Trenches. The Bn. met little resistance and soon secured the first objective (Dublin Trench ) by 08:30 hrs. Once Montauban had fallen, the 20th Bn. was to send a company forward to capture the Briqueterie, which was the remains of the old Montauban brickworks. This was achieved with some casualties. Casualties for the 1st July were 23 all ranks were killed and 77 wounded.1,4
- 19th Jul. Reported Wounded by Liverpool Daily Post. The timing of the newspaper listing (no details) is consistent with the Somme battle. It is not known how serious the wounds are and if Jack was hospitalised for long, he did, however, return to the war front at which point, we have no records to tell us.

- It’s unlikely that Ja saw Jack any more action in 1916 and any evidence of his stay in a hospital in France or Belgium above. It could be at this point that Jack was transferred to the 12th Battalion but we cannot determine this from the records.
Note: There are now three scenarios for Jack’s 1917 experience. The movements of the 20th, 12th Bn. and the 1/8th Battalion follow as we cannot determine which battalion was with at what time. Note all movements taken from Wyrall’s History of the KLR book.
1917 Movements of 20th Battalion KLR
- Mar. The 20th Bn. in the trenches at Agny. On the 18th patrols determined the Germans had withdrawn the 20th and 17th moved forward over manland. The advance then continued over the next three days, when both battalions were pulled out of the advance for rest, but not before the 20th had taken part in a skirmish near the village of Neuville Vitasse on 21st March. Believing the village to be deserted, a ten-man patrol had the misfortune to encounter a German patrol there, which numbered some forty men. Being so outnumbered, the British stood no chance and two killed and five other ranks were captured.
- 9th Apr. The Arras Offensive. To the south, barbed wire obstructed the Pals with varied results. The 18th consolidated in front of the wire until relieved on the 10th, while the 19th and 20th were eventually withdrawn, having suffered heavy losses within about 100 yards of the wire. The 20th Bn. lost thirty-one other ranks killed or died of wounds. Of the others who were wounded, the vast proportion was from the 19th and 20th Bns.4
- 31st Jul – 2nd Aug. The Battle of Pilckem Ridge. The 30th Division occupied trenches from just inside the western edges of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge. 4
- 31st Jul. The two Pals Battalions the 17th and the 20th had moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse, ready to advance through to the Green Line. At 07.00Hrs these positions were heavily shelled by the enemy which caused casualties to both Bn.s. At 07.50Hrs they began to advance, the 17th on the left and the 20th on the right, and eventually found that the Blue Line had not fallen. As troops of the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down in front of them.1,4
- 3/4th Aug. The 17,19 and 20th Battalions were relieved on the night of 3/4th August, and also initially made for Chateau Segard, and then rest at Brandhoek.1,4
- Oct. Ravine Wood nr Hollebeke. 20th Bn. Kings front line duty 4
- Dec. Polderhoek sector (Ypres). 20th Bn. Kings front line duty.4
1917 Movements of 12th Battalion KLR, 20th Division.
- Jul. 1917
The 12th KLR left the Somme area on 1st Jul. Bn. entrained from Bihucourt to Achiet-le-Grand and then onto Candas to billets where they trained until the 20th then marched to Doullens and entrained for Proven area. Training again until the end of the month. - 14th Aug. The 12th Bn moved to Malakoff Farm Camp and here operation orders were received for the Bn to take part in the Attack on Langemarck.
- 15-17th Aug. Attack on Langemarck. At 20:00 hrs the 12th Bn. moved up to their assembly positions. At 04:45 hrs the barrage began the advance wave of infantry was immediately caught by machine gunfire. The Blue and Green line objectives having fallen to other battalions the 12th KLR were advancing towards their objective the red line. Machine gun fire slowed progress. However, the Red Line was captured but at great cost company officers and all NCOs were casualties and so on the 17th, the Red Line was vacated as the Bn. retired. On the night of 17/18th, the Bn. was relieved casualties were 4 Officers and 41 ORs killed, 7 Officers and 230 ORs wounded and 34 ORs were missing 18 prisoners were captured by the Bn.
- 18-28th Aug. Herzeele Billets
- 10th Sept. Moved into front line northeast of Langemarck.
- 16th Sept. The Germans attacked the KLR line and were soundly sent off. 12th Bn. casualties 1 killed and 6 wounded
- 20th Sept. Wolfe Camp near Dawsons Corner
- 23rd Sept. The Battle of Menin Road. In support of the attack Langemarck Sector. Note the 55th Div and the 1/8th, and 1/7th KLR were heavily involved in this battle.
- 26th Sept. The Battle of Polygon Wood. The 20th Div including the 12th KLR held the northeast of Langemarck in this battle.
- 18th Nov. 12th KLR was relieved of the support trenches and marched to a camp at Railton near Heudecourt. Here final preparations for the upcoming battle were made.
- 19th. Nov. Moved to assembly point opposite La Vacquerie.
- 20th Nov. The Cambrai Operations. 12th KLR with tanks attacked 06:20 hrs. all objectives were taken. 80 POWs taken and equipment. The 12th KLR occupied the Brown Line.
- 21st Nov. The 12th KLR moved forward to take over the position from the Somersets near Les Rue Vertes.
- 1st Dec. The German counterattack. At 07:30 hrs the enemy attacked in masses under cover of heavy artillery and heavy machine-gun fire under cover of low flying aeroplanes. The aeroplanes dropping HE caused many casualties. The Bn. was forced to retire. The remnants of the Bn. were attached to other units of 61st Bde. Casualties 9 Officers missing, 2 officers wounded, 229 OR’s missing and 55 OR’s wounded.
- 5th Dec. 12th KLR temporarily at Millencourt. 6th Dec Marched to Albert and entrained for Beauinville and marched then to Crequy. After several days of training then onto Sercus until the end of the month.
1917 Movements of 1/8th Battalion KLR 55th Division.
- 4th Jul. 1/8th KLR in Reserve Goldfish Chateau (Nr Ypres). Enemy shellfire killed 1 officer and several OR’s wounded
- 9-20th Jul. Potijze. 1/8th KLR relieved 2/5th Lancs Fusiliers in Potijze Trenches
- 14th Jul. 1 Officer killed, 2 ORs killed, 4 wounded in the trenches.
- 20th Jul. Relieved of position.
- 31st Jul. – 4th Aug. The Battle of Pilckem Ridge After reaching the Green line on the 31st The 1/8th KLR received orders to return the original front line ie the Strand Communications trench in Wieltje. Overall the 55th Division’s attack in the area of Spree, Pond and Schuler Farms, no fewer than 168 officers and 3384 men were killed, wounded or missing. The Division was withdrawn to Recques for re-fit and training on 7th August. It returned to pretty well the exact position it had left on 15th September, under orders for the next phase of the offensive.
- 20-23rd Sept.The Battle of Menin Road Ridge.
The 1/8th KLR as part of the 55th Division captured all of their objectives in this battle in the Gravenstafel area. However casualties were heavy; 2 Officers and 26 ORs were killed and 8 Officers, and 149 ORs were wounded. As well 1 Officer and 22 OR’s were missing. These incurred in the heavy but successful fight for Gallipoli, Schuler Farm and the Hanebeek. Relieved by the 39th Division, the 55th moved out of the line on 22nd September and proceeded to a very different area, south of Cambrai. The position taken up was between Honnecourt Wood and Lempire-Ronssoy. - 17th– 23rd Nov. Cambrai Operations.
- 17th Nov. The 1/8th KLR were to assault Knoll Trench.
- On the night of 19/20th, the 1/8th KLR assembled on the line. While it was quiet and surprised seem likely the enemy suddenly opened fire and cause some casualties for the Bn. But the attack had not been discovered by the Germans and at zero hours the attack began.
- 22/23rd Nov. The 1/8th KLR on the front line were relieved by the 1/5th KLR.
- 8th Dec. The 1/8th KLR moved first to Beaumetz-lez-Loges and then finally reached Dennebruicq where they stayed until January 1918.
1918
- 30th Jan. Dennebruicq. It seems this is the date on which Jack transferred to the 1/7th KLR Battalion. The 1/8th was split up and distributed across 1/5,1/6 and 1/7th Battalions as well as some men going to the 2/8th KLR Bn.
Note the transfer from 20th to 12th Battalion to 1/8th Bn and finally to 1/7th Bn cannot be absolutely determined. All we know for certain is that in September 1918 he was captured and it appears from Red Cross card that he was at this time with the 1/7th battalion.
- Apr. The Battle of the Lys. The defence of Givenchy by the 1/7th Bn. and the 55th Div. is recorded as their finest achievement in WW1. The map below shows that on the 9th of Apr when the Germans made their Spring Offensive the Div. held area of Givenchy and Festubert did not capitulate as did other areas on the front, the Germans gaining major ground as the map shows.

- 9th Apr. The southern sub-sector defence included a tunnel that had been constructed under Givenchy village with no forward line, thus the Line of Resistance for 164 and 165th Bdes. was the front line. This gave no real depth to the defence, but the local environment did not allow for it. For the 165th Brigade in front of Festubert, the marshy and boggy ground was unsuitable for fortified positions other than for delaying the attack, thus for the 1/7th, their Line of Resistance was the Village Line, to which they could fall back from their outpost line. this they did as the onslaught in dense fog began. Defending heroically the resistance paid off, and the Germans pushed on into areas with less resistance the Portuguese Army to the immediate north being one of those areas overrun
- 10-16th Apr. The following day was relatively quiet for the 1/7th but attacks continued elsewhere and there was more heavy shelling on 11th April. The Battalion was relieved two days later, after fifteen days in the line. The Division pulled out on 14th April to great accolades. The Division was relieved by 1st Div., whose 1st Bn. Black Watch could not hold the Givenchy ridge against another German attack. Casualties were high for the battle.
- May-Sept. The Bn. does not appear to have been in any action at this time however they are in the Festubert front line again in late August and it’s there that Jack’s war was to end.
POW
- 3rd Sept. He was captured and taken POW. From the book “Liverpool Pals” by Graham Maddocks; “30101 Pte. T J Blincow of the 17th(1/7th) Bn. on 3rd Sept. 1918 was part of a patrol which was suddenly fired upon by the Germans. Although most of the patrol members were hit, Blincow managed to dive into a shell hole, only to be captured by a German as he tried to climb out. Once in captivity, he discovered the prisoner of war Camp interpreter had once lived in Knotty Ash near Liverpool and when he discovered that Blincow lived nearby in Huyton, he took him to a barber’s shop for a haircut and a shave.”1,2
Note: The 1/7th Battalion part of the 165th Bde. of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division was at this time on the frontline at Festubert. The map below shows their position. 55th (West Lancashire) Division war diary Intelligence reports show that in this period the battalion was actively engaged in patrols into enemy territory.5 It is easy to see then how Jack may have walked into an enemy position, not on the maps.

Repatriated
- 17th Nov. Jack repatriated and returned via Calais on this date. A record at the Preston Army offices. Jack was captured late in the war and may have escaped the harsh treatment and nutritional problems of the early prisoners. The first British ex-captives reached Calais on 15th November only 2 days after Jack arrived home. Reported Tuesday 03 December 1918 in the
Weekly Casualty List (War Office & Air Ministry )
Sources
- Liverpool Pals by Graham Maddocks.
- The war diary for the 17th Bn.
- Wikipedia.
- History of the Kings (Liverpool) regiment 1914-1919 Vol 1, II &III by Everard Wyrall.
- 55th Division Headquarters Diary for September 18. WO 95 2906-4.
- Gregson, Adrian (2004) The 1/7th Battalion King’s Liverpool Regiment and the Great War – the Experience of a Territorial Battalion and its Home Towns. PhD thesis, Coventry University in collaboration with National Museums on Merseyside.
Medals
Awarded the British and Victory medals.
After the War
1921 Census
Married in 1921 to Minnie Smith and had two children.
1939 Census
Death 1957 age 65 years
Prescot, Lancashire, Volume: 10f, Page: 268.
Gallery
There are 3 records in the National Archives for this man. For copyright reasons, they cannot be re-published.

Red Cross cards informing Thomas Joseph Blincow’s family that he had been taken as a POW
This source was connected by Michael Timmis grandson
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