Blincoe Robert 1886

Robert Blincoe [5552]

1886-1949

Known as Bob.

Father Nm: Robert (Bertie) Blincoe 1865

Mother Nm: Rachel Leach 1867

Marriage Dt:1910, Emily Watson, Manchester Register Office

K comments: Brother Edward Harold served with the Royal Garrison Artillery and Brother Albert Norman served with several Regiments but not overseas. Son Robert was a Flying Officer with the RAF in WW2

Spouse Comments: Emily Watson 1887-1962 [5556]

Children: Thomas Edward 1911, Dorothy 1912, Eunice 1913, Robert 1915, Vera 1923

(Research): Julian B GR[D] Manchester vol 10e p 77 June 1949

Born 1886 Montreal Canada

Baptised Montreal 7th Feb. 1887

1901 Census Rochdale

1. Robert Blincoe 34
2. Rachel Blincoe 31
3. Robert Blincoe 14
4. Edward H Blincoe 10
5. Algernon Blincoe 8
6. Albert N Blincoe 5
7. Arthur Blincoe 1

1911 Census

116 Halifax Road, Rochdale

1. Blincoe Robert Head Plumber M 1887 Montreal, Canada 24
2. Blincoe Emily Wife F 1887 24
3. Blincoe Thomas Edward Son M 1911 Rochdale 3 Months

Devonshire Regt.	Labour Corps

WW1

Blincoe Robert, 1886, Manchester, Company Sergeant Major, 13289, 487179, 10^th Bn. Devonshire Regiment, Labour Corps

1914

• 25^th Sept. Bob enlisted in the 10^th Devons and probably as a Sergeant. He may well have had previous military experience pre-war as his later rank of Company Sergeant Major is usually a recognition of previous Army experience. As Company Sergeant Major (CSM) Bob was responsible for the discipline of the company, store orders and general administration duties reporting directly to the Major.

  

• Note that Bob was with the Devons (10^th Service Bn.) until at least January 1917. See the explanation below.

Bob was likely transferred to the Labour Corps after becoming sick or wounded on the front, his grandson recalls he was stricken with Malaria although, in his pension records, his complaint is Rheumatism. This usually indicates wet weather, prolonged cold etc which is hard to correlate to time in Greece but he was under a tent near the mountains. As we have no records to show when Bob transferred from the 10^th Devons the war history of that battalion is shown complete until the Armistice

1915

• 22^nd Sept. Landed in France but, instead of going into the trenches, the 10^th Devon’s were suddenly diverted via Marseilles to Salonika. Their move had been precipitated in mid-October 1915 by Bulgaria allying with Germany and Austria. At the request of Greece, Britain and France, therefore, sent troops to Macedonia to counter any Bulgarian aggression there. The 10^th Devon’s arrived in Salonika on 21^st November 1915.

  

1916

• Jul. After some months spent on garrison duties, the 10^th Devons arrived in the front line near Doiran close to the Bulgarian position at Petit Couronne. Note Bob was in bivouacs for months and his exposure to cold weather caused Rheumatism to develop at this time to become a lifelong disability.

  

  .

• Aug. The Bulgarians attacked but were repulsed by ‘A’ Company, whose rapid fire inflicted heavy casualties. By the end of September, nearly a third of the 10^th Devons had been admitted to hospital suffering from malaria or dysentery. Nonetheless, the Battalion remained in these positions for several months, patrolling and occasionally skirmishing with their opponents.

1917

• 10/11^th Feb. To invade and neutralise Bulgaria the Allies would have to breach the Bulgar front line. On the night of 10^th Feb. 1917, the 10^th attempted this by launching an unsuccessful attack on Petit Couronne, perched high above a rocky ravine. Meeting fierce resistance, running out of ammunition and having lost 150 casualties (40 men killed), they were forced to withdraw. They had taken thirty prisoners and inflicted heavier casualties on the Bulgarians, but the position remained untaken.
• 24/25^th Apr.The First Battle of Doiran.

  

  Two months later the attack on Petit Couronne was renewed from a different angle. A gap was blown in the enemy wire and the Devons stormed through but they were the only British troops to have taken and held part of the enemy front line. Again, they were ordered to retreat. This time the Devons’ losses among the 650 men who had attacked Petit Couronne were 450 killed, wounded or missing. CWGC shows 61 men killed on the 24/25^th.

• Note at this attack and serving alongside Bob in the same Brigade 70th Bde was Edwin Blinco 8th OBLI. Also at the battle Albert George Blinko 2/24^th London Regt., and Albert John Blinko 2/18^th London Regiment.

The rest of 1917 and the spring and summer of 1918 were spent holding part of the front line and patrolling.

1918

• 14^th Sept. An Allied offensive finally began on 14^th September 1918. By the 18^th, once the Serbs had taken Doiran and Petit Couronne had finally fallen, it was clear that the Bulgarians were in retreat.
• 28^th Sept. the 10^th Devons crossed into Bulgaria and received news that the Bulgarians were suing for peace. Hostilities ceased at noon on 29^th September. The Turkish enemy, however, remained and the Devons set out towards the Turkish border. While plans were being made for a brigade attack on the Turkish positions near Adrianople the Turkish capitulation was announced.
• 1^st Dec. The 10^th Devons marched as sole representatives of the British Army through the streets of Bucharest to mark the entry of the pro-Allied Romanian King and Queen into their country’s recently liberated capital. The Battalion’s long and uncomfortable campaign in Macedonia had earned them the battle honours Macedonia 1915-18 and Doiran 1917-18 and cost them 188 killed and several times that number wounded and sick.

1919

• 29^th May. Bob was discharged from the Army we do know that he had a Pensions Board in October 1919 that rated him war impaired because of Rheumatism he was stricken with while in service. A medical report in 1921 states he is suffering from Osteoarthritis.
• However, did Bob re-enlist again as this record indicates from DOD archives for those discharged 1921-1939

Name:	R Blincoe
Birth Date:	5 Dec 1886
Service Number:	A295512/41
Rank:	RAF Officers and Other Ranks (pre 53)
Reference Number:	XPE000268521

Sources

1. The Keep Military Museum
2. Army Service Records
3. CWGC Casualties at http://www.hut-six.co.uk
4. Nephew Edward Blincoe provided anecdotal information and Grandson John Blincoe provided photographs.

Medals

1914-15 Star, British and Victory medals

After the War

1939 Census

10 Woodgate Avenue, Rochdale

	FIRST NAME(S)	LAST NAME(S)	DOB	SEX	OCCUPATION	MARITAL STATUS
	Robert	Blincoe	03 Dec 1886	Male	Master Builder & Contractor	Married
	Emily	Blincoe	10 Mar 1887	Female	House Duties Unpaid	Married

1941

Served as Warrant Officer with ATC in WW2.

Death 1949 age 62 years

18 May 1949, Manchester, Lancashire, Volume: 10e, Page: 77

Gallery

 

There are 3 records in the National Archives for this man. For copyright reasons they cannot be re-published.