Blencowe Herbert 1886

Herbert Blencowe [4205]

1886-1971

Father Nm: William Blencowe [3749]  born 5 Jul 1860, Hinton in the Hedges Northamptonshire died  Feb 1940, Brackley.; Oldest known ancestor – Henry Blincow abt 1764 Radstone, Brackley.

Mother Nm: Dessie Paxton [8107] born 1861 Claydon, Oxon and died 1926 Brackley

Marriage Dt:1924 to Sarah A Curzon (nee Ayres) at Brackley, Volume 3B Page 22.

K comments:

WW1: Brothers; One of four brothers that served the others James 7th East Kent Regiment, Alfred and John Henry RFA.

WW2: Son William John served with Royal Navy

Spouse comments: Sarah A Curson [8119] nee Ayres born c 1889 died 1965 Brackley Sep q

Children: William John 1925, Beatrice 1928, Norman 1929, Peter R 1934.

(Research): GR[B] Brackley June 1886 GR[D] Banbury vol6b p 2812 March 1971 Whitfield Parish Register.

Birth

29 March 1886 Brackley

1901 Census Whitfield

1. William Blencowe 40 Ag labourer
2. Desse Blencowe 39
3. Herbert Blencowe 15 Plough Boy
4. John H Blencowe 12
5. Alfred Blencowe 8
6. Beatrice E Blencowe 7
7. James Blencowe 3

1911 Census Navvie living in Watford

Blencowe Herbert Boarder M 1886 25 Watford Hertfordshire

 

	Royal Engineers

WW1

Blencowe Herbert, 1886, Brackley, Sapper, 1230, 478154, 456th Field Company (1/2nd West Riding) Royal Engineers.

Note The 1/2 West Riding was the name the company of Engineers had until July 1917 when it was changed to 456th Company. I have used 456th to describe the company from 1915 onwards.

Synopsis

Herbert a Territorial soldier probably volunteered to go overseas and at some point was to join 1/2nd West Riding REs of 49 Div (later known as 456 Field Company ). His assignment to the 456th Field Company was likely in 1915 and he seems to have been with them from the beginning until the end of the war. We know for certain that in November 1918 he was with the 456th Coy from a hospital record when he contracted Influenza that year. A Navvie Herbert was likely used to dig trenches and other building roles (Army Huts, Stables, Pillboxes etc) as his main duty but almost certainly trained and defended himself from attack. His Company had a relatively quiet time in 1915-1916 with no fatal casualties, but in 1917 lost 11 men and 24 in 1918 when undoubtedly they were in offensive roles rather than the trench workings mode of 1915-16. April 1918 was a particularly torrid time as the Germans had one last attempt to turn the war they were losing, around. After this, the 456th was in a very different mode trying to keep up with the rapid advances of the Allied Infantry towards Germany. Porer conditions in this period lead to the great pandemic being created amongst the allied troops and Herbert fell victim but survived Influenza. He came home in 1919 weakened no doubt by Influenza but unlike two of his brothers luckily not invalided.

1914

• Dec. Enlisted according to Serial No in Dec 1914. (SN. 1234 enlisted 24^th Dec 1914). Herbert was a Territorial soldier and as such volunteered to go overseas. It isn’t known for certain which Royal Engineer unit he was with but a likely candidate is the Territorial Force Royal Engineers 474^th Field Company. The war history for this unit lands in France at the time that Herbert is posted.

1915

• 17^th Apr. 1915. Posted to France (medal card). This corresponds with the 49th Division landing in France. From the 49th Div. history On 31 March the Division was warned that it would go on overseas service and entrainment began on 12 April. Divisional infantry went via Folkestone-Boulogne while all other units went from Southampton to Le Havre. By 19 April the Division had concentrated in the area of Estaires – Merville – Neuf Berquin.²

  

   

• 49th Division took part in the The Battle of Aubers Ridge (9 May)
• August-December. Working on trench systems in the Ypres Salient Belgium.
• 49th Division took part in The defence against the first Phosgene attack (19 December)

1916

• March in the Somme at locations Bouzincourt Raincheval
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Albert 1–13 July 1916* 456th Company in Aveluy Woods and on 3 Jul dug communications trenches with 148th Bde in front of Thiepval Woods
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Bazentin Ridge 14-17 July 1916*
• In the month of June-July, the 456th was in the Lens sector at Aveluy Woods north of Albert.
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Pozieres Ridge from 23 July – 3 September*
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Flers-Courcelette 15–22 September*
  * the battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
• At the end of September, the 456th left the Somme and moved north to the Pas de Calais region at Souastre by December they moved from Bienvillers to Coullemont.

1917

• January-February. The 456th moved closer to Arras to Souich, Grosville. Trench work was the main role. On occasion, raids on enemy trenches by Infantry meant combat drills and defence again enemy counter-attacks but until August no significant casualties were suffered by 456th.
• March. The 456th marched over several days 90 km north to Laventie in the Lens sector.19 May. Laventie the 456th Company suffered its first death as one man returning from work was struck by shell fire.
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Estaires (9–11 April)^
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917)^
• July. The 456th was prepared for frontline duties of patrolling and maintaining key works, arms training was given for a week.
• 9 July. The Division moves by train from Westrees -Merville area to East Dunkirk in a move to support Operation Hush on the Belgium Coast.
• 49th Division took part in Operations on the Flanders Coast (Hush)
  • August. The 456th now in patrolling and maintaining a bridge in this operation came into its first sustained combat situation
• 14 Aug. Came under attack while patrolling bridge 2 men wounded one killed and 7 gassed.
• 18 Aug. Patrolling and maintaining the bridge one man was killed on the bridge.
• 30 Aug. One more man died on this day from this operation. The war diary for the day doesn’t mention any incident, it may be a wounded man from previous incidents.
• September. The 456th moved back to the coast of France and were at Teteghem and Bray sur Plage in a quiet month before being transported south to Lederzeele and then to the Belgian sector front line at Vlamertinge.
• October. Working on building and maintaining roads in the Ypres sector. On the 19th Oct. an enemy aeroplane strafed the company and a man initially wounded later died
• 49th Division took part in The Battle of Poelcapelle 9 October**
  ** the battle marked ** is a phase of the Third Battles of the Ypres
• November. Working on building Stables out of the line, but on the 28th were sent forward to drain Pill Boxes at the front. On return from work at Westhoek one man was killed and 4 wounded. Later 2 of these died.
• December. Continued working at the front. On the 10th Dec. two men were killed at the Potije Dump by enemy bombing (grenade fire)

1918

• January-April. Continued working in the Ypres sector. On 8th Feb. One man was killed by shelling when the company worked on a forward pill box.
• 49th Division took part in The First Battle of Kemmel Ridge, The Battle of Bailleul^ in which the Division defended Neuve Eglise and The Battle of the Scherpenberg^ all in the period 7–29 April 1918^
• 17 April. The German spring offensive overruns positions close to the company’s workings 4 men were killed and several were wounded on this day.

  

• 23 and 25 April. 9 men were killed on these two days making April 1918 the worst of the war for the 456th. On 23 Apr. a Capt was killed and a Major also wounded on returning to billets. On 25 Apr. a sustained attack of high explosives and gas claimed 8 lives.
• 18 October. The 456th moved to Escaudouevres and one man killed in action.
• 30-31 October. The No 2 section of the Coy attached to 246th Bde RFA at Maing on the 30th and then map location K17.b.7.3 took three casualties.

Note: the 49th Division took part in The Pursuit to the Selle, The Battle of the Selle and The Battle of Valenciennes+
+ The battles marked + are phases of the Final Advance in Picardy T

• 11 November. The Division had been relieved and was resting at Douai on 11 November 1918. In this period of celebrations, Herbert contracts Influenza.
• 28 November. Suffering from Influenza Herbert was admitted to No 18 Hospital at Camiers. This hospital was taken over by American Medical staff in June 1917. Note: Northwestern’s Base Hospital 12, with doctors drawn largely from the University and nurses recruited from the Illinois Training School for Nurses and local hospitals, arrived in Dannes-Camiers, France in June 1917.

 

• 13 December. Discharged from No 18 Gen. Hospital

1919

• 23^rd Apr. Back in England Herbert was discharged to Reserves.

Medal Card

Herbert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory medals

Source

1. BFA and Find My Past
2. Long Long Trail
3. 1/2nd West Riding /456th Company RE War Diary

After the War

1921 Census

At home with family, a Platelayer with the Great Central Railway the railway went right through Brackley.

William	Blencowe	Head	Male	1860	60	Hinton, Gloucestershire, England	–	Farm Labourer
Bessie	Blencowe	Wife	Female	1861	59	Claydon, Oxfordshire, England	–	–
Herbert	Blencowe	Son	Male	1886	35	Whitfield, Northamptonshire, England	–	Plate Layer G C R Coy
John Henry	Blencowe	Son	Male	1888	33	Whitfield, Northamptonshire, England

Married in 1924 and had 4 children.

1939 Census

Herbert Blencowe 21.3.1886 builder lab Sarah A 21.10.1888 living 28 West Mill Gardens Brackley 3 undisclosed

Death 1971 Age 85

.Banbury, Oxfordshire, Volume: 6b, Page: 2812.

GALLERY