Blincowe John 1883

John Blincowe  [4153]

1883-1973

Father Nm: John Blincow [3673] born 1854 Long Buckby  Oldest known ancestor – John Blinco Whilton 1660.

Mother Nm: Susan Mardling [3159] 1854.

Marriage Dt:

1. 1912 to Margaret Lacey born 20.4.1880 died 1948 Chester
2. 1948 to Gertrude E Mason, Chester, Cheshire, Volume Number: 10a, Page Number: 444.

K comments: Brother Thomas served with the RGA.

WW2

Nephews John Robert served with Northants Regt and was wounded, Thomas served with the RAF. Niece May married a USAAF sergeant.

Spouse comments:

1. Margaret Lacy b. 20 Apr 1880 died 1948
2. Gertrude Emma Mason. born 15 jul1887 died Dec q 1972 Chester

Children: Margaret Blincowe born 1Q 1914 Chester, 

(Research):GR[B] Northampton Dec 1883 1891 Census*, GR[D] Chester vol 10A p 432 June 1973.

Born

24.8.1883 Northhampton

1891 Census Northampton

1. John Blencowe 37 Shoemaker
2. Susan Blencowe 37
3. Sarah A Blencowe 13
4. Elizabeth Blencowe 11
5. Annie Blencowe 9
6. John Blencowe 7
7. Susan Blencowe 5
8. Kate Blencowe 3
9. Louisa Blencowe 1

1901 Census Northampton

1. John Blincowe 47 Shoemaker
2. John Blincowe 17 Shoemaker
3. Susan Blincowe 15 Shoe Machinist
4. Kate Blincowe 13 Shoe Operative
5. Louisa Blincowe 11
6. Charles Blincowe 7
7. Thomas Blincowe 9
8. Bertie Blincowe 2

1911 Census 89 Garden Lane Chester, Cheshire

1. Blencowe John Boarder Shoemaker M 1884 Northampton 27

East Kent Regiment	Northumberland Fusiliers

WW1

Blincowe John, 1883, Northampton, Sergeant, 3511, 206239, 8^th Bn. East Kent Regiment, 4^th Battalion T.F. Northumberland Fusiliers.

Synopsis

John, it appears joined East Kents in 1914. The regimental serial number indicates that John joined the East Kent’s in Sept 1914 he was 30 years of age and it seems didn’t get sent overseas until late 1915. The serial number may also indicate enlistment with the 8^th (Service) Battalion East Kent Regt. which was formed at Canterbury in September 1914 as part of Kitchener’s 3^rd Army. In September 1914 it was put under command of the 72^nd Brigade, 24^th Division. John a bootmaker was possibly used in the war to repair the boots of the men in his battalion. This would imply he maybe didnt see much combat and could be why he survived the Aisne in 1918 when his battalion was mostly destroyed.

John had a very long war and was it appears in battle action until May 1918. The amount of combat he experienced with the East Kents and then in 1918 with the Northumberland Fusiliers makes it even more remarkable that no injuries or sickness is reported.  John did live a very long life died at age 90 and so he was perhaps one of the lucky ones that came through WW1 unscathed.

1915

• • Aug.-Sept. Embarked as part of the 72^nd Brigade 24^th Div. to France. Concentration was completed in the area between Etaples and St Pol on 4^th September. The Division’s first experience was truly appalling. Having been in France for only a few days, lengthy forced marches brought it into the reserve for the British assault at Loos. GHQ planning left it too far behind to be a useful reinforcement on the first day.

  • 25^th Sept.-13^th Oct.The Battle of Loos.The largest battle of WW1 in 1915 and ultimately a very heavy defeat for the British.  The Commander of the British forces General Haig mistakenly thought this would be a great victory (even one to end the war) but without the planning, adequate Artillery fire, and specific target maps of advancement. Haig thought the first use of the gas by the British would devastate the Germans but it did not. The British had 60,000 casualties compared to the Germans 26,000 which in itself tells of the outcome. The BEF commander Gen. Sir John French lost his command as a result of the failure of the battle and Haig inherited the role from then on.
• As the map shows originally on day one the 24^th Div. was in reserve, there was great controversy later about the timing of bringing the 24^th Div into the battle. It was during the afternoon that the bulk of the two leading divisions of XI Corps (21st and 24^th Divisions) arrived on the battlefield; tired and bewildered, they had vague orders and no maps to find their target location.
• 25^th Sept. Beuvry . Disturbed by a heavy firing the next morning from our big guns. The Battalion received orders to march about 10 am and marched E along the Vermelle Rd. meeting strings of wounded (mostly Scotch Regiments) and some German prisoners. On arrival about 12 noon W of Sailly la Bourse the Battalion was diverted to the left and formed up W of a small stream W of Vermelle. About 11.00 pm the Battalion advanced ..over the open and occupied trenches (Old British Support line). Fosse No 8 de Bethune, and the Hohenzollern Redoubt were to the left front and Hulluch Quarries, to their front and Loos to the right front. Shellfire and frequent bursts of rifle fire continued all night.⁴
• 26^th Sept. About 3.0 am  2 Companies A and D, proceeded across the open to the left front towards the “Slag Heap” of No 8 Fosse. From this time this party of the Battalion was continuously under heavy shell and rifle fire, repeated attacks being made by the Germans on the trenches that they held, …suffering several casualties from the enemy’s fire, and feeling severely the want of food and water. ⁴ 
• 27/28^th Sept. A heavy attack was made about 5.00 pm by the Germans on the left but was repulsed by men of various Regts. assisted by Northants and Middlesex who were moved down to meet the attack. Throughout Monday night those attacks were constantly repeated, but in every case were successfully met. ⁴ 
• The Bn suffered 41 men killed on the 27/28^th Sept.
• 29^th Sept. A party numbering about 170 all ranks marched back to Beuvry. ⁴

• Oct. The 8^th Bn. transferred to the 17th Brigade 24^th Div. 

• 23^rd Oct-19^th Nov. Trenches at St Eloi (right centre sector) rest camp between spells at Reninghelst.
  • 23^rd – 28^th Oct. During this 6 days tour in the trenches, the casualties were 2 O.R. killed, 10 wounded. ⁴
    • 26^th Oct. A small mine was exploded by the enemy which caused all to stand to arms. ²
    • 28^th Oct. The Bn. was relieved after dark by the 7^th Northants.⁴
  • 3^rd -8^th Nov. The casualties during the tour were 3 O.R. killed, 7 O.R. wounded, 1 O.R. died of wounds. ⁴
  • 13^th – 19^th Nov. Casualties 9 O.R. wounded, 3 O.R. died of wounds 3. During this tour of duty, a good many men (about 16) had suffered from trench feet. Communication trenches had been undermined by floods, parapets fell down, and most of the trenches underwater, and the condition of the parapets very bad. ⁴

1916

• Jan-Mar. Trenches at Sanctuary Wood. Spells of 4 days or so in the trenches of the war its notable that 4 of the 5 men accidentally killed were in the first month of this tour, obviously, the learning curve was steep. ⁴ Casualties for the period;
  • Killed 1 Officer 24 OR’s
  • Accidentally Killed 2 OR’s
  • Died of Wounds 2 Officers 12 OR’s,
  • Wounded 5 Officer 69 OR’s,
  • Accidentally Wounded 5 OR’s
• 1^st – 5^th Apr. Trenches at Messines. ⁴

• 29^th Apr-3^rd May. The German gas attack at Wulverghem. The enemy carried out a gas attack on a considerable scale near Wulverghem, on a front of 3,500 yards held by the 3^rd and 24^th Divs. The operation was opened by heavy rifle and machine-gun fire under cover of which the gas was released.
  • Immediately afterward a heavy “barrage”, or curtain of artillery fire, was placed on three parts of this area, and eight infantry attacks were launched. Of these attacks only two penetrated our trenches; one was immediately repelled, while the other was driven out by a counter-attack after about 40 minutes’ occupation.⁴
  • Casualties for the period were heavy with 22 men killed.
• 30^th July– 3^rd Sept. The Battle of Delville Wood*

  

  After the South African Forces first broke into the Wood on 14^th Jul. the fighting was furious throughout the month.

• 30^th Aug. John’s 72^nd Brigade along with the 73^rd Bde. of the 24^th Div. were sent in as reinforcements.
• The final German forces were driven from the Delville Wood on 3^rd Sept Although the Bn. doesn’t seem to have been involved in this action.²

The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916

1917

• 9^th – 12^th Apr. The Battle of Vimy Ridge. A phase of the Arras offensive 1917. General Byng used four attacking divisions, one division of reserves, and numerous support units. He was supported to the north by the 24^th Div., which advanced north of the Souchez River. On the key final day, the 24^th Div. supported from the north the Canadian troops as they took the Vimy Ridge.²

• 7^th – 14^th Jun. The Battle of Messines Ridge. The detonation of 19 mines beneath German positions enabled Allied infantry to capture the salient. Two brigades of the 24^th Div. in Corps reserve, advanced into the X Corps sector and reached Dammstrasse on time. The brigades easily reached their objectives around Bug Wood, Rose Wood, and Verhaest Farm, taking unopposed many German pillboxes. The brigades captured 289 Germans and six field guns for a loss of six casualties, advancing 800 yards (730m) along the Roozebeek valley, then took Ravine Wood unopposed on the left flank.²

• 31^st Jul – 2^nd Aug. The Battle of Pilckem Ridge***At the beginning of the attack 24^th Div. failed to advance far due to the boggy ground, loss of direction in the dark, and because much of the German machine-gun defence on this section of the front remained intact. A German attack on 5^th August recaptured part of Jehovah Trench from the 24^th Div. in the II Corps area, before being pushed out again the next day.

• 10^th Aug. An attack by the 24^th Div. on Lower Star Post failed after German sentries caught sight of the British troops assembling in moonlight.²

• 16^th – 18^th Aug. The Battle of Langemarck***. On 22^nd August the 24^th Div. captured a strong point near Bodmin Copse.

The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres

• 30^th Nov. – 2^nd Dec. The Cambrai Operations (the German counter-attack)

1918

Note at this stage the 8th Bn. Disbanded and John joined the 1/4^th Northumberland Fusiliers and they were involved in the following action in 1918.

• 21^st-23^rd Mar. The Battle of St Quentin. Part of 50^th Northumberland Division involved in defensive actions as the German spring offensive took place.

  

  • 20^th Mar. For some days before the historic March 21^st, the Battalion
    had been lying in reserve at the village of Le Quesnel, on the east
    side of the main road between Amiens and Roye.
  • 21^st –23^rd Mar. “In the afternoon, “marched out of the village where
    we had spent so happy and busy time. entrained as far as Brie, from whence under urgent orders we marched to Gaulaincourt, arriving there shortly after dawn on Mar 22^nd. …and pushed on to Mons-en-Chausee. These were the positions roughly when the tide of battle broke on us. Our Battalion had taken up its position on the Green Line. It was on the Green Line that
    we joined battle with the enemy, and the fight waged fiercely
    through Friday afternoon. Casualties, especially amongst officers,
    were heavy from the first, the Commanding Officer (Lieut. -Col.
    William Robb, M.C.) being wounded, and all Company Commanders killed or missing.”⁴
  • The 1/4^th Bn. suffered 32 deaths in this battle.
  • 24^th Mar. The Actions at the Somme Crossings. The Bn. retreated to Saint- Christ-Briost and crossed the Somme under machine-gun fire the enemy in close pursuit, casualties low..”Our position at dawn on Sunday, 24^th, was on the slight rise between Christ bridgehead and Misery, but we were withdrawn to Foucaucourt during the morning for a brief rest.”⁴
  • 24^th Mar. “On a Sunday afternoon, their two hours sleep enlivened
    by an enemy bombing raid, the Battalion moved up to Assevillers,
    after having taken up an intermediate position at the Sugar Refinery.
    Hard fighting again took place, but it was only with the greatest
    reluctance and to conform with the rest of the line forced back
    both North and South under tremendous pressure that we with
    drew through Foucaucourt (now on fire) to Vauvillers.”⁴
  • 25^th Mar.”The Vauvillers area was to witness some of the keenest
    fightings of the whole battle. It is open, an undulating country with
    numerous villages and fair roads, some sunken. Here on Monday,
    25^th, under the urgent necessity of checking the Boche advance,
    the Battalion vigorously counter-attacked, fighting through the
    streets of Framerville.”⁴
• 26^th-27^th Mar. The Battle of Rosieres. On Tuesday, 26^th, there was another vigorous fight at Vauvillers and neighbourhood with several spirited counter-attacks. On Wednesday, 27^th, the battle moved steadily through
  Harbonnieres, Guillaucourt, and Ignacourt, the Battalion fighting
  an undramatic but highly important rearguard action, to cover the
  retirement of the main body.”⁴

• Casualties on 26^th-27^th  were fifteen men killed.
• The Bn. is moved to French Flanders in the vicinity of Merville.
• 9^th-15^th Apr. The Battle of Estaires. as the Bn. prepared to take over the line from Portuguese troops the second German Spring offensive was launched in the River Lys area. The 1/4^th Bn.s’ role was to help defend the bridges over the River Lys in the small town of Estaires. After 24 hours of fighting the 1/4^th, along with its sister Bn.s, was forced out of the town by the enemy. In the days that followed the whole Div, sadly depleted in numbers, continued to fight but steadily withdrew to the Northwest, until the enemy advance ran out of steam.
  • The Bn. casualties in the battle were heavy 72 men being killed in the period with the bulk being killed on the 10-11^th.
• 27^th May- 6^th Jun. The Battle of the Aisne.

  

  The 1/4^th Bn. was decimated during the third and final German Spring offensive, with the majority of the men either killed or captured when their positions were overrun. John survives this terrible defeat, John possibly not involved in the combat in his duties as Battalion bootmaker

  • 25-26^th May. The Bn. moved into the front line for the second time on Saturday night-Sunday morning May 25-26^th.”Prisoners had given the information that at 1 a.m. Monday. 27^th, the enemy intended to attack in great force.”⁴
  • 27^th May “The whole line was deluged with enemy shells, and the front trenches especially ..reduced to a pulverized mass. For two hours and a half this continued; then lifted further on as the infantry and tanks attacked at 3.30 a.m…Standing in the ruins of their defences, the Northumberlands awaited the onslaught waited and met it with rifle and Lewis gun fire until the grey hordes broke and stayed their course, tanks and men alike. overwhelming numbers, they poured on again, and our men were pressed back to their second positions, fighting as steadily and effectively as their depleting numbers permitted. Another battalion came to their help, and the wood in front of Pontavert became a perfect hell. Draw a line from the front of that wood eastwards to the Bois des Buttes, and you have roughly the line on which the Fourth fought its last battle as a battalion.”⁴
  • The Casualties were horrendous and as stated before the battalion was finished. 77 men lost their lives in this last battle.

Sources

1. Sir Douglas Haig’s 1^st Despatches (St Eloi), 19 May 1916
2. Wikipedia
3. Loss 1915 by Nick Lloyd
4. History of 1st 4th Northumberland fusiliers Callin, Rev R.W. (1919)

Medals

British and Victory medals awarded

The Medal card indicates John’s service with the East Kent’s was the service awarded with the British and Victory medal but it could have equally been awarded for his time with the 4^th Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers..

After the War

1921 Census

John	Blincowe	Head	Male	1882	38	Northampton, Northamptonshire, England	Boot & Shoe Maker	J Mc Kay Boot & Shoe Maker
Margaret	Blincowe	Wife	Female	1880	41	Flint, Flintshire, Wales	–	–
Madge	Blincowe	Daughter	Female	1914	7	Chester, Cheshire, England	–	–
Mollie	Sigley	Niece	Female	1902	19	Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales	Cashier	R Bolland & Sons Confectioners

1939 Register

62 Vernon Road, Chester, Chester C.B., Cheshire

John Blencowe 24 Aug 1883 Male Boot Maker & Repairer Married 183 1
Margaret Blencowe 20 Apr 1880 Female Domestic Duties Married 183 2

Death 1973 age 90 yrs

Chester Vol 10A Page 432 June 1973.

Gallery

 

There is 1 record in the National Archives for this man. For copyright reasons, they cannot be re-published.