Blencowe John W 1884

John William Blencowe [4174]

1884-1963

Father’s Name: John William Blencowe 18 Nov 1849 Banbury, died Aug. 1930 Kidderminster.; Oldest Known Ancestor – William Blencowe Stoney Stratford 1780.

Mother Nm: Mary Jones [3115]1850-1917. BIRTH 1850 • Clun, Salop, England
DEATH APR 1917 • Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England

Marriage Dt:20 Jul 1912.

Kin Comments: Brother Harry James served with Royal Fusiliers, Labour Corps, and the 13^th Bn. DCLI. Brother Charles Albert served with the Canadian Mounted Rifles and the British Tank Corps.

Cousin Rose Ellen Blencowe (Barber) served as a Nurse in WW1

Son Eric Hubert was a Captain in the Royal Artillery in WW2.

Spouse comments: Mary Ellen Gwillam [10043] 1886.

Children: John William 1913, Eric Hubert 1916, Mary Dorothy 1921, Kathleen May 1923.

(Research): GR[B] Kidderminster Dec 1884 1891 Census, GR[D] Kidderminster March 1963.

Birth

Born 19 October 1884 Kidderminster

1891 Census Kidderminster

1. John Blencowe 41
2. Mary Blencowe 41
3. Ammie Blencowe 14
4. Mary Jonne Blencowe 10
5. Agnes M Blencowe 8
6. John W Blencowe 6
7. George R Blencowe 4
8. Elsie B Blencowe 1

1901 Census

First name(s)	Last name	Relationship	Marital status	Sex	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Birth place
George J	White	Head	Married	Male	48	1853	Electrical engineer	–
Sophia	White	Wife	Married	Female	42	1859	–	Middlesex, England
Walter	Stubbs	Visitor	Married	Male	39	1862	Furniture remover	Hampshire, England
John W	Blencowe	Boarder	Single	Male	16	1885	Electrical engineer asst	Worcestershire, England

Father and family at 110 Chester Road Kidderminster

	Last name	Relationship	Marital status	Sex	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Birth place
John	Blencowe	Head	Married	Male	51	1850	Foreman whitesmith	Banbury, Oxfordshire, England
Mary	Blencowe	Wife	Married	Female	51	1850	–	New Invention, Shropshire, England
Agnes M	Blencowe	Daughter	Single	Female	18	1883	Shop assistant stationers	Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
George R	Blencowe	Son	Single	Male	14	1887	–	Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Harry J	Blencowe	Son	Single	Male	9	1892	–	Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Charles A	Blencowe	Son	Single	Male	7	1894	–	Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England

1911

John William by 1911 Staff sergeant in the Territorial Army and is Hon Secretary on the event announcement in the local paper

1911 Census 12 Coventry St. Kidderminster Worcestershire

1. Blencowe Charles Albert M 1894 17 Asst. Town Postman
2. Blencowe Agnes May F 1883 2
3. Blencowe John M 1850 61 Plumber And Gas Fitter
4. Blencowe John William M 1885 26 Plumber And Gas Fitter
5. Blencowe Mary F 1850 61

 

OArmy Service Corps

WW1

Blencowe John William Staff Sergeant Major S4/242543 Army Services Corps TA

Pre War

The Territorial Army was formed after a new Act The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 that combined the Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new force.

It’s likely that John was a Volunteer before joining the TA in about 1908 hence by 1914 he had qualified for 12 years service award the TFE.

Territorial Warrant Officer prior to Overseas Service and then Staff Sergeant Major with ASC. John was in the Kidderminster Fire service for 30 years and a territorial, this plus his trade of Plumber (ie possibly exempted) is probably why he was late to go overseas with the ASC.

The S prefix denotes Supply and in particular, S4 denotes Supply Labour (of the 4th New Army). The 4th New Army was formed in February 1916 placing John’s enlistment sometime after that.

The ASC was the military arm responsible for military fire brigades the major garrisons and ASC depots each had a fire brigade, these were manned by local civilian firemen – the ASC were responsible for their administration and the provision of drivers. This was also true of the army on the Western Front and other theatres of war. The Base Depot at Le Havre and Calais for instance, boasted of their own all-military fire brigade, as did Salonika and subsequently Constantinople.¹

Sources

1. The Great War Forum
2. Kidderminster Fire Brigade
3. The History of the Sheffield Fire Brigade

Medals

Awarded the British, and Victory medals plus The Territorial Force Medal awarded after the war and the Territorial Force Efficiency medal awarded in 1914

After the War

1921 Census

Children born after the war in 1921 and 1924 in Kidderminster.

John was in the Kidderminster Fire Service before the war and after in total for 30 yrs. He was the rank of Lieutenant of the Fire Service in 1923 when he retired from that position but clearly from the records continued to be a volunteer fireman well into the 1930s

1939 Census

Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Occupation: Chief Fire Officer, Borough Fire Brigade

John W Blencowe
Mary E Blencowe
Eric H Blencowe
This record is officially closed.
Kathleen M Blencowe

WW2

John volunteers and is given the rank Temporary Staff Sergeant Major 1st Class. Given his age and experience as Fire Chief, we can assume he was utilized by the RASC in fire services at RASC bases. He most likely was stationed in England.

 

Medals

None are recorded but would have received these medals

 

1957

Daughter Kathleen May who had married Elwyn Boulter in 1949 emigrated to Rhodesia. John probably never saw her or his two grandchildren Raymond and Jennifer again. Grandson Raymond followed in the military tradition and was a pilot Officer with Rhodesian Air Force but was tragically killed in 1975 in an air accident.

Death 1963 age 78 years.

Kidderminster, Worcestershire, Volume: 9d Page: 222.

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar

Name John William Blencowe, Probate Date: 2 May 1963, Death Date: 15 Mar 1963, Death Place: Kidderminster, Registry: Gloucestershire, England.

GALLERY

Note: there are 4 records that exist for this man that is not shown in the Gallery for copyright reasons.