Blinko Albert G D 1894

Albert George Dodman Blinko [4472]

1894-1977

Father Nm: William George Blinko [380] born Dec Q Rotherhithe 1869 -1907: Oldest known Ancestor – Thomas Blencowe, C1475, Marston St Lawrence.

Mother Nm: Ann Maria Williams [290] 1869.died 1962 Wandsworth

Marriage Dt:3 Jan 1923 to Edith May Lovell, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

K comments: Sister Hilda’s husband William George Latham served with the 2/24th Bn London regiment and was wounded at Vimy in 1916.

Spouse Comments: Edith May Lovell (Daisy) 1897-1981

Children: Betty M Blinko 1930- William Billy Blinko 1931-2005

Born 21 JuL 1894

St Olave Southwark, London, Surrey, Volume: 1d, Page: 286 and 1960 travel records.

Baptism 26 Aug 1894

London, England, Births and Baptisms, Father’s Name: William George Blinko, Mother’s Name: Annie Marie Blinko.

Parish or Poor Law Union: Saint Anne, Bermondsey, Borough: Southwark, Register Type: Parish Registers.

1901 Census 151 New Rd Rotherhithe London

1. Blinko William G Head Warehouseman Varnish Works M 1870 Rotherhithe 31
2. Blinko Annie M Wife F 1872 Rotherhithe 29
3. Blinko Albert GD Son M 1895 Rotherhithe 6
4. Blinko Hilda M Dau F 1900 Rotherhithe 1

1911 Census 8 Tatum Street, Rodney Rd, Walworth S E Southwark London

1. Blinko Albert Son Yard Boy Chocolate Factory M 1895 Bermondsey 16
2. Blinko Annie Head Factory Cleaner Chocolate Factory F 1873 Bermondsey 38
3. Blinko Hilda Dau F 1900 Bermondsey 11
4. Blinko William Son M 1908 Mitcham 3

Note; Albert and his mother likely worked at the Menier Chocolate Factory on Southwark Rd. About a mile away from their home. Annie a widow would have struggled on the low wages of a cleaner and in 1911 the whole issue of low wages for women caused a major strike in the Bermondsey area.

WW1

Blinko Albert George Dodman, 1894, St Olaves, Private, 1849, 720334, 1/24^th and 2/24^th London Regiment.

The medal index card has a box that indicates the theatre of war. These codes and timeframes indicate for Albert, the following;

• (1a) France and Flanders 18-3-15 to 27-05-16
• (2a) Greek Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria 29-12-16 to 16 -06-17
• (4b) Egypt 19-06-17 to 2-07-18
• (1a) France and Flanders 8-7-18 to 11-2-19

1914

• 4^th Aug. Enlisted as a Territorial soldier, who then signed a waiver and agreed to overseas service 5^th Sept 1914.

Albert’s war was long and eventful his service spanned France, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and back again to France and Belgium to end the war.

• Aug. The Battalion was at 2 Jamaica Road, Bermondsey. Part of the 6^th London Brigade, 2^nd London Division. Moved on mobilisation to St Albans area.

1915

• 18^th Mar. Landed at Le Havre. The Bn. formation became the 142^nd Brigade in the 47^th (2^nd London) Division.
• 9^th May. The Battle of Aubers Ridge. The battalion was part of I Corps attacked from Rue du Bois to advance on the Marais -Illies Rd. The 1/24^th Battalion 8 men killed in this attack and 6 more in the next two days entrenchment.⁵
• 15^th – 25^th May. The Battle of Festubert.
• 24^th May. Starting At 6.30 pm, 142^nd Bde., although suffering very heavy casualties to newly ranged heavy artillery fire from Auchy les Bassée, advanced 400 yards across a thousand yards wide front towards Chapelle St Roch and there established the new front line.¹
• The Bde. lost some 980 casualties in this shelling, but held on to its position. ² The 1/24^th Bn alone lost 131 men in the battle.⁵
• 26^th Aug. The 47^th Division’s preparation, for its limited attack south-west of Loos, was almost faultless. It moved into its positions on the 26th and dug over 1,450 yards of the new front line, about 200 yards in advance of the old position, in the following four weeks. As well as building a new front line, there were many scarcely smaller tasks including the construction of large ration and equipment dumps, a functioning water-supply system and the laying of miles of telegraph and telephone cables in and around the trenches. By 25^th September, the 47^th Division had dug over two miles of new communication trenches, deepened and widened existing ones and prepared positions for three machine gun batteries on the forward slope of the Maroc Ridge.⁸
• 25th Sept.-13^th Oct. Battle of Loos.

  

  The largest battle of WW1 and ultimately a very heavy defeat. 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.⁸

• 25^th Sept. the 47^th Div progressed fairly easily to their objectives on the first day, however, the 142nd Bde containing Albert’s 1/24^th Bn. was in divisional reserve for the attack. In front of Cite St Pierre and Loos. The division was relieved by French forces on the 29^th.³
• The divisions on the flanks suffered far fewer losses, and because of their limited roles, exact figures for 25^th Sept. are much easier to come by. Casualties in the 47^th Division were relatively light (only 25% of the 15^th and 7^th Divisions ) but still amounted to sixty officers and 1,352 other ranks.⁸ It should be noted that the 47^th Div. was the only division to get an adequate period of artillery fire and also was the only division with specific maps of their objectives.⁸

1916

• 21^st May onwards. The German attack at Vimy Ridge . IV Corps had two Divisions holding their sector of the front, 47^th (London) and 23^rd. The London Division held the Carency and Berthonval sectors with 141 and 140 Brigades, with 142 Brigade in Divisional Reserve. The 1/24^th and 1/12^th London’s got to their objective, only to be fought out of them again. 2nd Division relieved the 47^th (London) Division on the night of 25-26^th May 1916. The losses to the British forces amounted to almost 2,500 between 21 and 24^th May in this sector. 47^th (London) Division lost 1,571 men (the 1/24^th battalion had 14 men killed) ; The German losses were reported to be 1,344.²
• 24^th May. Albert was wounded in the German attack at Vimy Ridge he received a gunshot wound to his left thigh and foot and his index finger was initially treated at 22 Casualty Clearing Station (Bruay). A recently available medical record shows he was also treated at the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre

  

• 27^th May. After two days of treatment, Albert is recorded being invalided home on the hospital ship Asturias.
• 28^th Aug. Transferred to the 24^th Bn. Reserves.
• After home leave to recuperate, he joined the 2/24^th Bn. part of the 60^th Division.
• 18^th Dec. Embarked to Salonika from Southampton and arrived 29^th Dec. 1916.

60th Division War activity in the Middle East

On 1^st November the Division received orders to re-organise, preparatory for a move to Salonika. Units entrained at Longpre between 14-25^th November and, going via Marseilles and Malta, assembled at Salonika on 25^th December 1916. The Division then remained in Salonika and took part in the following engagements:

1917

• 23rd Mar. Treated for Scabies at No 84 Field Ambulance.
• 24^th/25^th Apr. and 8^th/9^th May. The Battle of Doiran. No major role in this battle is likely in Reserve. Note at this battle there were three other Blencowes. Albert John Blinko 2/18^th London Regiment, Edwin Blinco of the 8th OBLI. and Robert Blincoe of the 10^thDevons.

• 16^th Jun. Embarked from Salonika to Alexandra landing on the 19^th of June.

  

  The Division was once again re-organised in preparation for a move to Egypt for operations in Palestine. It embarked on 12^th Jun. and by 4^th Jul. had completed concentration at Moascar in the Southern Suez Canal Zone. The Division began to advance to Palestine and by 23^rd Jul. was at Deir el Balah (8 miles SW of Gaza). The Division then remained in Palestine and took part in the following engagements:

• 30^th Oct. – 7^th Nov. The Third Battle of Gaza. Notably in the capture of Beersheba (31^st Oct.) and the capture of the Sheria position (6^th Nov.) The third battle of Gaza was begun as a feint to divert enemy forces to Gaza. The garrison was bombarded for six days, and three divisions (including the 60^th) deployed, to fool the Turks into believing that another frontal attack was imminent. The real effort, however, was to be made at Beersheba, the eastern extremity of the Turkish defensive line. Beersheba fell on 31^st October 1917, allowing the British and dominion forces to outflank and roll up the Turkish defensive line. This undermined the security of Gaza, which fell to the British on 7^th November 1917 after little resistance from Turkish forces. The 2/24^th Bn. Lost 21 men on the 31^st and 1^st .⁵
• 8^th/9^th Dec. The capture of Jerusalem. The London regiment was involved in the handover to British control.
• 26^th -30^th Dec. The Defence of Jerusalem. Between 1.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the 27^th the outposts of the 60^th Division on the ridge north of Beit Hanninah repelled four determined attacks, but the heaviest fighting took place to the east of the Jerusalem — Nablus road. Repeated attacks were made against Tel el Ful; a conspicuous hill from which Jerusalem and the intervening ground can be overlooked. The attacks were made by picked bodies of troops and were pressed with great determination. At only one point did the enemy succeed in reaching the main line of defence. He was driven out at once by the local reserves. In all these attacks he lost heavily.”⁷

1918

• 19^th – 21^st Feb. The Capture of Jericho.
  • 19^th Feb. The advance on Jericho began on 19th February 1918. On that day the Division captured several strong positions ” in the face of considerable opposition.” That night the enemy attacked and was repulsed ” after a sharp struggle.”⁷
  • 20^th Feb. On the 20^th further positions were taken, ” the enemy resisting with stubbornness. . . . The right brigade met with great opposition. Moreover, the ground over which the attack had to take place proved the most rugged and difficult yet met within this country. . . . The left brigade advanced four miles over the difficult country, the enemy fighting a rearguard action from ridge to ridge.” By the evening of the 20^th ” the 60^th Division had reached a line four miles west of the cliffs overlooking Jericho.”⁷
• 8^th – 12^th Mar. The battle of Tell’Asur.
• 21^st Mar – 2^nd Apr. The first Trans-Jordan raid.
• 27^th – 30^th Mar. The attack on Amman (as part of Chaytor’s Column)
• 30^th Apr. – 4^th May. The second Trans-Jordan raid
• 26^th May – 1^st Aug. The Division was “Indianised”; that is, British units (most of which went to France) were exchanged for units of the Indian Army.

Note at this stage the 2/24^th Bn. was disbanded and it seems Albert was sent to join his original 24^th Bn. in France.

• 4^th -14^th Jul. En route to France.
• 15^th Jul. Rejoins the 1/24^th Bn.
• 21^st/22^nd Aug. The Battle of Albert.
  • The second-line London battalions were all involved in the attack. Moving from positions west of Bronfay Farm, the 2/2 and 2/4 Londons pushed well forward to the east of the Carnoy-Suzanne road. The 2/2nd at the end of the day lay astride the Fricourt-Maricourt road east of Carnoy, after capturing Carre Wood and an elaborate trench system
• 31^st Aug. – 1^st Sept. The Second Battle of Bapaume.
• The Operations in Artois. including the official entry into Lille.
• 11^th Nov. Ended the war near Kain north of Tournai, Belgium.

1919

• 4^th Mar. Demobilised.

Sources

1. Battle of Aubers Ridge, Edward Hancock, Havertown : Pen and Sword:2005.
2. The Long, Long Trail, The British Army of 1914-1918.
3. Most Unfavourable Ground, Niall Cherry.
4. 1915 Campaign in France: The Battles of Aubers Ridge, Festubert and Loos. by A Kearsey.
5. CWGC records.
6. The Actions of Spring 1916.
7. The Territorial Divisions 1914-18.
8. Loos 1915 by Nick Lloyd.
9. Clare Wright (Clare O’Brien author) whose Ancestry tree and photographs were very helpful in documenting both the Latham and Blinko Families

Medals

Albert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British and Victory medals.

The Star with the 24^th Bn. London regiment and the other medals with the 2/24^th Bn. London regiment as part of the EEF.

Albert would have been entitled to wear service chevrons and wound stripes on his dress uniform. Three blue service chevrons for 1915-1918 and the red chevron for 1914. Albert wounded in action on 24 May 1916 (gunshot left thigh and foot and index finger ) would have been entitled to wear a single wound stripe.

After the War

Before the war and on joining up Albert is a Chocolate Maker he may have pursued this career after the war as he appears to have had money/opportunity to travel etc.

Back in England, he met Edith May Lovell who had married a Canadian Soldier Valentine Noyes in 1918 then went to Canada with him as Mrs Edith Noyes only to return as Edith Lovell in 1920.

1921 Census

4 Tatum St, Newington, Southwark

Annie	Blinko	Head	Female	1872	49	Bermondsey, London, England	Cleaner In Banker	James Pascall Blackfriars Ltd
Albert G D	Blinko	Son	Male	1894	26	Rotherhithe, London, England	Tramcar Conductor Lcc	London County Council Tramways
Hilda M	Blinko	Daughter	Female	1899	21	Rotherhithe, London, England	Wire Stitcher Box Machinist	James Pascall Furzedown Wks Mitcham
William G	Blinko	Son	Male	1908	13	Mitcham, Surrey, England	–

1922 Emigrated to Canada

10 December. Arrived in Halifax Nova Scotia, note Edith Lovell had travelled in August 1922 to Canada ahead of Albert

1923 Marriage in Vancouver

3 January. Albert and Edith marry shortly after arriving in Vancouver. Occupations at this time Confectioner and Hairdresser

Death 1977 Age 83 Years

Vancouver, Canada.

 

 

Gallery

 

There are 13 records in the National Archives for this man. For copyright reasons, they cannot be re-published. Family Photographs from Clare Wright who originally shared in 2018 on Ancestry

Family Photo Album

Supplied by Clare Wright (Obrien) grandniece