Oliver Arthur Palmer

1895-1966

Father Nm: Oliver William PALMER1866–1926
BIRTH 1866 Dovercourt, Essex
DEATH 1926 Colchester, Essex

Mother Nm: Ellen BLINCO 1871–1947 [3906]
BIRTH 14 FEB 1871 Gazeley, Suffolk, England
DEATH 1947 Colchester, Essex, England

Marriage Dt: 30 April 1921 Colchester

Spouse comments: Florence Everson 1896–1969
BIRTH 10 DEC 1896 Colchester, Essex
DEATH APR 1969  Colchester, Essex

Children. Sheila Palmer 1922 – 1996, Florence b. 1926 living, Margaret b. 1937 living

Born 1895

7 Jul 1895 Tendring Essex

1901 Census

Great Bentley
Oliver Palmer 34
Ellen Palmer 30
Oliver Palmer 5

1911 CENSUS

60 Maldon Road, Colchester
Oliver Palmer 44
Ellen Palmer 40
Oliver Palmer 15
Beulah Palmer 13
Bertie Palmer 7
Gilbert Palmer 5

WW1

Oliver Palmer Act. Sergeant, 33226, 2/8th Cyclist Battalion, Essex Regiment, 237th Company and 21st Battalion, Machine Gun Corps

Synopsis

Ellen Blinco’s son Oliver Alfred Palmer was an athlete, a long-distance runner that continued his sport as he served in WW1.

In October 2021 Tim Silk a descendant provided me with what is a wonderful collection of records and photographs that have hardly ever been equalled in quality and substance in my 10-year research into the Blencowes that served.

The pay book and photos identify where and when Oliver was to be before 1917 when he went overseas and are invaluable in establishing that from entry to exit of the war Oliver was a first-class runner.

In 1919 at the end of two years at the front he was to win the Cross Country for the V Corps of the British Army considering that consisted of about 50,000 men this was no small feat.

The pay book and materials in a Pouch that Tim Silk has provided are available to view from a link in Sources below. The documents also confirm that at discharge Oliver was a Sergeant with the 21st Battalion Machine Gun Corps.

Oliver was sent to join the 237th Company in Belgium, sometime in September 1917 and was to serve on the front and with to the renamed 237th ie the 21st Battalion until the end of the war. He was discharged in May 1919. 

In 1921 he married Florence Everson and we have a lovely photo of that day as well. It also looks likely from army discharge records that Oliver re-enlisted after the war and served until 1925 when he joined the Post Office Telephone Engineering Department where he was to become an Inspector of Engineering works until he retired.

1914

• 8 August. Attested age 19 at Colchester? occupation an Upholsterer. He appears to have been placed with one of the Territorial 8th Battalion Essex Battalions as evidenced by the Dec 1914 and 1915 photographs. see the race photo below
• December. Photo of Oliver on guard duty. The Imperial Service badge above the right pocket of the uniform jacket indicates Territorial Forces.

  

  The British Automobile Associatio joined it seems en masse into the Essex Cyclist 8th Battalion in 1914.

  

1915

• In 1915, Oliver wins an 8th Bn running competition for 1 mile.

  

1916

• Having established he was with one of the three 8th Essex Territorial Battalions ie 1st/8th, 2nd /8th or 3rd/8th,  I sought some expert review at the Great War Forum. The views of the forum members were, because this photo (below) is taken at Kirby Cross in possibly 1916 or 1917 then the movements of the 2nd/8th Bn best fit this location. Note: Kirby Cross is just 4 miles from Little Clacton. Movements from Great War Forum  “2/8th were at Great Clayton in March 1915 and then to Mistley and Manningtree before moving to Suffolk in August 1916. In April 1917 they moved back to Essex, Little Clacton. Moved to Hollesley Bay in October 1917 and then finally went to Bawdsley in April 1918.”

  

  2nd /8th Cyclists Battalion

  

  

   

• 14 June. Oliver takes part in Cross Country Competition as these two medals attest. This was reported by Newspapers as the Northern Command championships run at Hartlepool.
  
• Oliver’s base for Machine Gun training was at Belton Park, Grantham very close to his mothers’ birthplace.

  

   

1917

• 20 February. Olivers is given training in a number of areas and the Army trained him in Signalling which is of note.  It’s interesting to note that a 1919 photo shown on this page shows Oliver as a signaller in the MGC Subsequently, this training and experience caused him to transfer to Army Signals and affect his future job prospects positively
• September. Oliver proceeded overseas to join 237th Coy MGC in Belgium. His first pay is dated 14 October indicating a full months pay.
• September. 237 coy Entrained for Ecke and then onto Meteren close to Belgium border.
• 29 September -3 October. The 237 Coy took part in the Third Battles Of Ypres – Battle Of Polygon Wood at Zonnebeke. Note the 237th War diary has no entries for the month of October. 237 Coy Casualties given by the CWGC for this battle were 6 men killed in the Company. 
• 4-6 October the 237th Coy took part in the Battle of Broodesinde. Casualties for this battle were somewhat higher with 13 men killed.

  

   

• 26 October the Second Battle of Passchendaele. 237 Coy didn’t suffer any fatalities in this battle and may have more of a support role.
• November. The 237 Coy in the trenches and based at Anzac Camp in Belgium. Three Casualties for the month.

  

• December. Battle Of Cambrai – German Counter-Attacks at Epehy. The 237 Coy moved from Tincourt to Marquaix and Hamel and into the line on the 9-17 Dec. Two casualties were reported from shelling. Out of the line on the 17 Dec and to Longavesnes.On the 31 Dec went back into the line from Saulcourt

1918

• January 1- 8 February  The 237 Coy n the line moving back to Saulcourt on relief.
• February. No diary for the 237th Coy but this is the period the Machine Gun Corps was re-organised into Battalions and the 237 Company, the 62, 63 and 64 Companies MGC were reorganised into one 21st Battalion MGC. In terms of where and what the companies were doing it appears that they were all in and out the Epehy Line and indeed the first 21st Bn MGC war diary for March shows that still to be the case.
• 20-25 March. German Spring Offensive. The 21st Bn MGC had three companies in the front line (one in reserve) between Villers Guislans map 57 SE and Epehy map 62c NE. The enemy was expected to attack and positions were chosen to defend the line. However, the positions were overwhelmed and in this period 35 men of the 21st Bn MGC were killed. The 21st Bn fell back to new positions as the map shows below.
• 1 April. The 21Bn MGC was moved from Cardinette to Belgium.
  
• 2 April. Arrived at Locre and billeted.

  

   

• April. Heavy fighting in the gun emplacements at Dickibusch, Menin Road, Voormezeele and Spoil Bank. 11 men were killed during the month.
• 6 May. The 21st Div was transferred to IX Corps of the 6th French Army and moved to the Soissons sector and specifically Pouilly
• 27 -28 May. The enemy attacked with Gas Shell bombardment initially, The French held Chemin des Dames fell quickly and the 21st Bn forced to withdraw on the left. Casualties during the withdrawal were high and 17 men were killed. The 21st Bn MGC lost 64 of 76 guns during this battle.
• June. 21st Battalion at rest and adjusting to losses and re-equipping mainly. Three men recorded died this month but in places near the coast suggesting casualties for the May month or earlier action. On the 9th of June, the Division moved to the coast well behind the lines.
• 2 July. The Division returned to the front and entrained to Puchevillers and onto Le Quesnoy.
• 11 July the 21st Bn MGC took part in a raid on Hamel. 2 men reported killed 4 wounded in the diary.
• August. 1st Battle of Albert. 21st Bn MGC were billeted at Acheux
• 21st August. athe 21st Div captured the village of Beaucort-sur-Ancre

  

   

• 24 August.  Attack on Thiepval Ridge by V Corps. 21st Divison target map ref R20 and R21 as shown on the map.
• August. Casualties in the month for the 21st Bn MGC were 12 men killed.
• 1-5 September. Le Sars
• 6-7 September. Morval
• 8- 26 September.Mesnil.

  

• 16-26 September. Operations at Mesnil
• 27-30 September. Moved up to Fins and more action.
• September. 21st Bn MGC casualties for this action was 21 men killed
• 3 October. 21st Bn MGc reaches the outskirts of Gouy and Catelet.
• 18 October. Advanced to Inchy, the enemy in desperate retreat.
• 26 October. At the end of October the 21st Bn MGC at Neuivilly
• 11 November. When the Armistice comes the 21st Bn MGC are at Berlaimont.

1919

• 2. February. Oliver wins the first man home medal in the V corps cross country run at Breilly sur Somme.

• 4 October. This photograph from his Service records shows him near Amiens with presumably other mates. Note that Oliver seems to have running shoes on although others disagree and suggest just muddy regulation boots.

  

   

 

Medals

Sources

1. 1. Ancestry  and BFA database
   2. Tim Silk Ancestry tree
   3. PALMER O.A, – soldiers active service pay book, pouch contents
   4. Essex Regiment Long Long Trail
   5. The Great War Forum whose members helped find key evidence for Oliver’s service.
   6. National Archives
   7. Belton Park History

After the War

1921 Married

Oliver marries his sweetheart Floss who he had known and courted for at least 5 years. They marry in Colchester on 30 April.

1919-25

• In 1919 Oliver re-enlisted in the Signals of the Army along with his future brother-in-law Edward Everson. Note Oliver has the signallers badge above his stripes indicating that at least in1919 he was in this role.

  

• The discharge record shows his Signals number..
  • Name: Oa Palmer
    Birth Date: 7 Jul 1895
    Service Number: 2307 699
    Rank: Army Other Ranks, Discharges for 1921-1939
    Reference Number: ADT000464217

1921 Census

By the census date, Oliver and Floss at 1 Trafalgar Road, Lexden and he has got the job of cable joiner (probably Army signals role helped this opportunity).

• 13 October. Oliver is hired by The GPO Engineering Dept as an SW2 which was a Cable joiner grade. likely used in the outside plant of the telephone system. We know that by 1939 Oliver had risen to be an Inspector of this type of workforce.

1939 Census

Living at 14 Perne Road, Cambridge

Oliver A Palmer 44 Telecommunications System Inspector P O Engineering Dept
Florence Palmer 43
Sheila Palmer 17

1951

Oliver a lifelong smoker was to die of Lung Cancer, it’s amazing to us today that in his lifetime smoking and running were not considered incompatible activities. In this 1951 photo Oliver still holding onto that ciggie in his garden.

Death 1966

4 Nov 1966 Tiverton, Devon

Gallery

There are service records in the National archives for this person they can be viewed and downloaded from their website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/