Blencowe Alfred E 1893

Alfred Edward Blencowe [4449]

1893-1966

Known as Alf by English relatives and adopted Ed it seems later.

SS# 087-26-4079.

Father Nm: John Blencowe 1857 South Newington-1943 Nuneaton – Oldest Known Ancestor: John Blencowe C1828 died Leamington Priors?

Mother Nm: Ann Maria Horley, b. Abt 1855, Radford, Warwickshire d. 1915, Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Marriage Dt:

1. 7 Sep 1919 , Hooker, Woods, Oklahoma, USA
2. 4 Aug 1938 Los Angeles, California, USA

 

K comments::

Brothers who were drafted or served in WW1

1. Harry served with the Oxford and Bucks LI.
2. Richard served with the New Zealand Rifles
3. George Herbert served in India (Alfred’s testimony) army records confirm
4. Albert who also emigrated to the USA claimed exemption as a conscientious objector

In WW2 nephew Clive served with RAF, nephew Handel with the Queens Royal Regiment, and nephew John with the Royal Navy.

Spouse comments:

1. Ruth Pauline Weedon b.24 Jan 1904, Campbell Hill, Illinois 1904- died 1981 in San Diego, California, USA
2. Margaret Frances Schudel was born 1905, in Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska and died in 1981 in Los Angeles.

Children:

(Research): GR[B] Nuneaton March 1894, Baptised 22 Apr 1895 Ufton.

Birth Date: 15 Dec 1893

Baptism Date: 14 Jul 1895 Parish: Ufton

Father’s Name: John Blencowe

Mother’s name: Maria Blencowe

1901 Census 10 Lister St Attleborough, Nuneaton

1. Blencowe Walter Son Bricklayer 1882 Burrington 19
2. Blencowe John Head Milk Dealer M 1858 South Newington 43
3. Blencowe Maria Wife F 1856 Bradford 45
4. Blencowe Harry Son M 1890 Nuneaton 11
5. Blencowe George Son Carpenter M 1885 Burrington 16
6. Blencowe Alfred Edward Son M 1894 Nuneaton 7
7. Blencowe Albert Son Milk Dealer M 1887 Burrington 14
8. Blencowe Richard Son M 1892 Nuneaton 9

1911 Census Kings Norton living with Edwards family

1. Blencowe Alfred Edwards M 1894 17
2. Edwards Charlotte Ellen F 1898 13
3. Edwards Gertrude Mary F 1882 29
4. Edwards Gordon James M 1895 16
5. Edwards John James M 1854 57
6. Edwards John William M 1885 26
7. Edwards Martha Elizabeth F 1893 18

Nov. 1913 Border Crossing from Canada to Vermont USA see images

Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945.

Passenger Lists, Emigrated USA, Name: Alfred E Blencowe, Port of Arrival: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

 

WW1

Blencowe Alfred Edward Private, Cook 7226 MD Base Hospital 21, 101^st Engineers, US Army, 26^th Div. 1^st Army Corps.

Synopsis

Ed Blencowe was probably the first ‘American Blencowe’ to arrive in Europe in May 1917 when he joined an advance force of the American Expeditionary Force MD Base Hospital 21 one of six such hospitals was 8 weeks after the USA entered to war to sail to Europe. The British having an acute shortage of doctors etc had sent Minister Arthur Balfour to America to urgently request this of the US government in the spring of 1917. Thus four years after his emigration to the United States, he was to return to England, something he did several times in his lifetime. While Ed as he became later in life was to tell he served with the 101st Engineers, his Army records do not record that fact. I speculate that he was attached to the 101st Engineers in early 1918, but when wounded and invalided to England was recorded as a soldier of the Army Medical department.

His Army record doesn’t say what his 10 % disability was when he was discharged in 1919 and may have been due to wounding or a sickness.

1917

• 12^th May. Enlisted at Saint Louis age 23 yrs. Address: 414 Market St Saint Louis MO.

Note . Washington University in St Louis was one of six entities to form base hospital companies to go immediately to Europe within weeks of the United States going to war. Ed enlisted was recruited into the unit as a Cook.

• 17 May. The Base Hospital departed St Louis for New York.

  

• 19^th May. Embarked overseas from New York City. Name: A E Blencowe
  Travel Date: 19 May 1917
  Ship: St Paul
  Rank: Private
• 12 Jun. Arrived at Rouen. “Rouen was the center of the southern line of British hospitals in France. Fourteen base hospitals in the vicinity, among them B.E.F. No. 12, served as receiving stations for the wounded mainly from the area of the Somme. After treatment at one of these base hospitals, the British wounded were evacuated down the Seine to England; the French, and later American wounded, were sent to Southern France. B.E.F. General No. 12, to which the St. Louis unit had been assigned, was one of the earliest British hospitals established in France. It had been situated on the racetrack, the Champs des Courses, at Rouen since August 1914, with the exception of one brief period during that first year when an advancing German army forced it to flee down the Seine River. The sandy, gravel-covered ground of the racetrack provided the best drainage in Rouen for a 1,300-bed hospital built in the midst of the rain belt of the Seine Valley. Even the local cards described the town as the “pot de chambre de France.” 
• June. Appointed to Cook grade. This is exactly the time The Base Hospital 21 reached Rouen its destination in France.

  

• 23 September. It seems highly likely that Alf/Ed met his brother Richard in September when they were both on the French coast. We are fortunate to have a wonderful photo featured on the lead and gallery of this page. Relatives say the photo is dated. On the 12th September Dicks regiment is being presented to Winston Churchill at Harlettes so it’s likely they both or one of them got leave, and met either in Rouen or some point in between.

  

 

1918

• Transferred or more likely attached to 101st Engineers during this year.

Note:  According to an article about Alfred in Midland Daily Tribune of 5 Nov 1947, he served with the US Army & was a member of the 28th Massachusetts Engineers. The reference to the 28th is likely an error the 101^st Engineers was a Massachusetts National Guard unit that went to Europe in 1917 with the 26th Division, the Mass. Engineers along with the Maine Field Artillery making up the 101^st Engineers¹

In order to cover all bases in terms of when Ed moved to the 101st Engineers the history of that Regiment shown from arrival in France in October 1917.

• 10 Oct. The 101st disembarked at Liverpool and were then transported by train to Southampton.
• 18 Oct. Landed at Le Havre
• . The 101^st as part of the 26^th Division was one of the first to arrive in France.

• Oct. Transported by train to the Marne sector.
• Oct. 11^th Barracks construction and infantry drill constituted the early work of the 101^st Engineers after its arrival in France.

• 9 Feb. Entrained from the Marne some 300 km to Soissons on the River Aisne.
• 23 March. Entrained and departed Soissons for Gironville -Sous-les-Cotes south west of Metz.
• Mar-Apr. In March The 101^st Engineers were charged with the engineer duties of a two-division front in the St Mihiel Salient, which in April became exceedingly active. A vast amount of engineering work was required in the sector upon the arrival of the regiment and a great deal more was made necessary by two fairly heavy attacks of the enemy, including the battle of Seicheprey on April 20, 1918. The two engagements caused serious destruction of existing defences. All field works had to be rebuilt and their former strength increased.
• Wounded. In the Spring it seems Ed was wounded. Source Long Beach Press-Telegram 10 August 1947 Newspaper article.

Note: The 101^st Engineers used in all US offensives through till the end of the war.

• July- December. Not sure of Ed’s location after wounding but he was by the end of the year at the 29th Base Hospital of the AEF located in the North Eastern Fever Hospital, Tottenham, London

1919

• 2-19th Jan. Evacuated home on the ship De Kalb to the USA either sick or wounded.

Name: Alfred E. Blencowe
Departure Date: 2 Jan 1919
Departure Place: Liverpool, England
Arrival Date: 19 Jan 1919
Arrival Place: Hoboken, New Jersey
Residence Place: Newton( Nuneaton), England
Father: John Blencowe
Ship: De Kalb
Military Unit: MED. DEPT.
Rank: COOK B. H. 21.
Service Number: 7, 226
Notes: SICK & WOUNDED BASE SECTION 3, BASE HOSPITAL NO. 29, DET. 8.

• 22^nd Jan. Alfred was at the MD Base Hospital 21 on his discharge on 22^nd Jan. 1919 and Alfred was registered with 10% disability after his war service. As part of his honourable discharge, Alfred would have been given a red “discharge chevron” to sew to his uniform to gain immediate recognition when out in public and in uniform.

  

Sources

1. Missouri Digital archives WW1 service records.
2. US Militia Forum.
3. The 21st General Hospital 1914-1919
4. The 101st US Engineers

Medals

Entitled to US Victory Medal with France and St Mihiel Clasps. Purple Heart and Missouri State Service Medal

After the War

1919 Naturalised U.S. Citizen

1920 Census Hooker Texas County Oklahoma Married wife Pauline and living with in-laws

W H Weedon Mattie L Father Hooker, Texas, OK abt 1866 IL White Head

A E Blencowe Pauline Hooker, Texas, OK abt 1894 England White Son-in-law

Pauline Blencowe W H, Mattie L, A E Hooker, Texas, OK abt 1904 IL White Dhtr

1930 Census California

Name: Alfred E Blencowe, Age: 36, Estimated birth year: abt 1894, Spouse’s name: Ruth P Blencowe

Residence: 1930 – city, Los Angeles, California.

States yes to have you served in the Military and indicates WW1 service.

Note: Divorced between 1930 and 1934 when Ruth remarried,

1936 Re-married

• 4 August. In Los Angeles to  Margret Frances Schudel born 1905 Nebraska of Swiss descent.

1940 Census

First name(s)	Last name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Birth year	Birth place
Alfred E	Blencowe	Head	Married	Male	42	1898	England
Margret	Blencowe	Wife	Married	Female	35	1905	Nebraska

1942 US Draft

Alfred Edward Blencowe, Draft Registration, 1942

Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, gender: Male, birth date: 15 Dec 1893.

September 1947

Ed and his wife Margaret take a trip to visit the battlefields of WW1 as well as Ed’s home town and Margaret’s Swiss birthplace. Newspaper article Long Beach Press-Telegram 10 August 1947

Alfred E Blencowe 1947 returns to Nuneaton better zoom feature

July 1957

Sydney to London via Vancouver and San Francisco.

Status: retired traveling with his wife? ( initials MF are incorrect though) gives the destination address as 167 Higham Lane Nuneaton Warwickshire duration of stay in the UK is 30 days.

Extract of Ships log for the journey in 1957 shows that the intended stay in Nuneaton is for 30 days and we can speculate that perhaps a trip to visit relatives. One can speculate that Alfred had taken the trip to Australia and was returning via England and that the first trip was to see his brother Richard down under.

1957 UK Incoming Passenger Lists

Name: A E Blencowe, Birth Date: 15 Dec 1893, Age: 63, Port of Departure: Sydney, Australia, Arrival Date: 22 Jul 1957

Port of Arrival: London, England, Ports of Voyage: Sydney, [Vancouver], [Seattle], [San Francisco] , [Los Angeles], Ship Name: Orcades, Shipping Line: Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd.

26^th Nov. 1969 Death

Alfred Blencowe, 558-34-3386 December 15, 1893, November 1, 1969, 75 years CA 90804 (Long Beach, Los Angeles County).

Burial: Sunnyside Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA, Plot: N E Magnolia, Section 0144, Grave 6.

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