Blinco Arthur A 1876

Arthur Amos Blinco [3991]

1876-1948

 

Father Nm: Arthur Blinco [1024] c 26.10.1854 St. Mary Warwick. Oldest known ancestor: James Blinco, Warwickshire

Mother Nm: Maria Ashmore [3125]1851

Marriage Dt:1908 to Elizabeth Annie Stilwell, Parish Church, Godalming [3125], Surrey

K comments: Uncle Amos Blinco served with the Warwickshire Regt. from 1867.

Spouse Comments: Elizabeth Annie Stilwell 16.5.1882-1957 Alton

Children:

(Research): GR[B] Birmingham March 1876 1891 Census, [Wilson] 1881 Census GR[D] Wednesbury vol 9b p 564 Sept 1948

Birth 1st Feb.1876

Registration district: Birmingham, Warwickshire Volume: 6d Page: 216

1891 Census 20 Wheeler St. Birmingham with Grandfather

1. Maska Ashmore 74
2. Arthur Blinco 15 Brass Polisher

1894

• 23^rd Apr 1894 Enlisted 1^st Bn. Royal Warwicks Regt
• The period entered into was 12 yrs service

1895-97

• Posted to Malta

1897-1898

• Posted to Egypt.

  

• Took part in the battle at Atbara on the 8^th of April 1898.
• Took part in the battle near Khartoum on 2^nd September 1898. Egyptian, Sudan campaigns

1898-1905

• Posted to East India

1900-1911

• Transferred to RFA 72^nd Battery, 38^th Brigade RFA
• 1902 Appointed Bombardier
• 1905 -1915 UK
• 1907 Promoted to Corporal
• 1908 Marriage
• 1909 Promoted to Sergeant
• 1911 Census at Okehampton Artillery Camp, Devon, Sergeant RA Married
• 1915 posted to France as part of BEF

Royal Warwickshire Regiment	Royal Field Artillery

WW1

Blinco Arthur Amos, 1876, Birmingham, Regimental  Sergeant Major, 12682, 3^rd North Midland (232^nd ) Brigade Royal Field Artillery, 46^th Div.

Arthur was a career soldier who first enlisted in 1894 served and served with the Royal Warwick’s and the RFA for almost 25 years.

1913

• 23^rd Oct. Posted to the 3^rd North Midland Brigade

1914

• 24^th Dec. Promoted to Brigade Sergeant Major.

  

• 21^st Jan. Promoted to Warrant Officer II
• 5^th Feb. Posted to France. His brigade was the 3^rd North Midland Bde (to become CCXXX11 Bde) which was likely with the 46^th North Midland Division for the duration of the war. Arthur was in France for 2 years and 337 days.

Movements of 46^th North Midland Division

1915

• Arrival in France complete by March. The North Midland was thus the first Territorial Forces Division to arrive complete in a theatre of war. The first months were spent in the Ypres salient.
• On 12 May 1915, the Division was re-titled as the 46th (North Midland) Division and the brigades were also re-titled.
• 12 Aug. Promoted to Acting Regimental Sergeant Major, this made Arthur the most senior Sergeant in the Battalion and entitled him to use Officers mess and dining.

  

• 30^th – 31^st Jul. Hooge. The German liquid fire attack.
• 13^th Oct. The attack at the Hohenzollern Redoubt.

  

  “During the closing days of the Loos offensive in October 1915, the division was ordered to assault the Hohenzollern Redoubt, a strong point in the German line near Loos. Over 3,500 casualties were suffered for little gain. Evidence from the divisional records reveals that the objectives were over-ambitious and unattainable. Personal accounts from soldiers testify to the failure of the artillery and infantry to co-operate adequately. Joseph Barlow of the 1/5th North Stafford’s highlighted the failure of the artillery bombardment: But would you believe, about five minutes before we charged, they opened up a murderous machine-gun fire, simply sweeping our parapets? It was a mystery to us, but we still had to face it in a few minutes. Just then the officers sent the word along that we must buck up, and that they were proud of us, and bid us a last farewell.”¹

• Consequently, the 46^th Div. underwent its worst day of the entire war with over 3,500 casualties suffered for little gain. Evidence from the divisional records reveals that the objectives were overambitious and unattainable. Personal accounts from soldiers testify to the failure of the artillery and infantry to co-operate adequately.²
• 23^rd Dec. The Division was ordered to proceed to Egypt, most units reached Egypt via Marseilles by 13^th January.

1916

• After just a few days in Egypt, the move of the Division was countermanded and the units were returned to France, the Division remained in France and Flanders for the rest of the war.
• 1^st Jul. The diversionary attack at Gommecourt. The 46^th in the front line near Foncquevillers was in British hands in 1916. On 1^st July 1916, Gommecourt Wood was attacked by the 46^th, and the Southern part of the village by the 56^th (London) Division. The attack met with temporary success, but could not be sustained; and Gommecourt remained a salient in the German line until 27^th February 1917, when it was evacuated. The preparations for the attack on Gommecourt required labour and a lack of sufficient labour units necessitated the employment of all the attacking battalions of the 46^th Division and many of those of the 56^th, whose sector was not so water-soaked, in the most exacting fatigues up to the very eve of the assault. Probably barely a man of the former division enjoyed a full night’s sleep for a week previous to the attack, and there was scarcely a day or night when the rain did not fall consistently and heavily, and working parties were not soaked to the skin.
• “At 7.30 am the two leading brigades of the 46^th Division clambered over the parapet to attack the German trenches in front of Gommecourt. Despite the artillery bombardment and protective smoke barrage, few reached the German trenches and the division suffered 2,455 killed and wounded. Chief among the reasons for the failure was the inability of the artillery to destroy or even suppress the German machine guns and artillery or to cut the wire, despite an intensive seven-day bombardment. ¹ The divisional artillery commander stated afterwards: “The wire was cut effectively along the whole front for a distance of 1,500 yards … the infantry could pass almost anywhere up to the enemy front line”. This was in stark contrast to reports provided by the surviving infantry. Sergeant H. Fitzgerald, 1/6^th North Staffords, reported: “I advanced with the first wave and got as far as the German wire, which was very thick and not cut. We couldn’t get through. The enemy opened up machine-gun fire, so I got in a shell hole and remained there till dark.” ¹

1917

• 11^th Jan. – 13^th Mar. Operations on the Ancre.
• 4^th Mar. Occupation of the Gommecourt defences.

  

  The 46^th Division as part of a diversionary tactic occupied the trenches in front of Fonquevillers facing Gommecourt and drove the Germans out of the Gommecourt village.

• 12^th Mar. The attack on Rettemoy Graben. Whilst following up the retiring army in this area, there was on the 13^th some sharp fighting, as the enemy took up a position in a strongly-wired trench known as Rettemoy Graben. This position, after being bombarded by the Artillery for a day, was attacked by the 5^th North Staffords and 5^th South Staffords; the 7^th Division attacking their right, with Bucquoy as their objective. The attack was made at 9 p.m. on a very dark night, but owing to the wire only being partially cut (due to the limited time at the disposal of the Artillery), and the enemy fighting a very stubborn rearguard action, the attack was unsuccessful, and the two battalions mentioned suffered heavy casualties.
• The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. In March 19I7 the Division relieved the 24^th Division in front of Lens in the Lievin sector, and it remained there for four months. During this time much hard fighting took place, which culminated in the operations of July I^st, I9I7. From the time the sector was taken over the line was advanced an average of 2,000 yards, and the ground captured included Cité St. Edward, Cité St. Theodore, Cité Jeanne d’Arc, Cité de Riaumont, the Bois de Lievin, the Bois de Riaumont, and the important tactical point Hill 65.
• 1^st Jul. The attack on Lievin.
• 15^th -25^th Aug. The Battle of Hill 70

1918

• 8^th Jan. Arthur returned to England.
• 23^rd Feb. Arthur waives service term and agrees to be discharged at the end of the war on a pension, he seems to be assigned to the 23^rd Reserve Brigade based at Boyton Camp, Codford, Wiltshire

1919

• 23^rd May. Arthur is discharged from Woolwich and his intended address is West Bromwich

Sources

1. History Today, Nov 2004 by Andrew Syk
2. Loos 1915 by Nick Lloyd

Medals

      

Medals earned for Sudan and Egyptian campaigns the Queen’s Medal and the Khedive’s medal with clasp for Atbara and Khartoum campaigns.

l

1914-15 Star, British and Victory Medals

Further Reading Khartoum Campaign 1898

After the War

1939 Census

15 Goldcroft Road
Arthur A Blinco born 1.2.1876 Chauffeur Gardener
Elizabeth born 16.5.1882

Death 1948 age 72

Registration district: Wednesbury, Staffordshire Volume: 9b Page: 564

GALLERY

There are records in the National Archives for this man. For copyright reasons, they cannot be re-published