Deane Michael Wallace Blencowe 1896-1968

MICHAEL WALLACE BLENCOWE DEANE

1896-

Father Nm: Colonel Richard Woodford Deane MBE (1859-1940)
Mother Nm: Harriet Blencowe [3762] born 31.7.1862 Bineham Chailey (Lewis S.Q.) died 26.3.1943 Sussex

Marriage Dt:1928 St George Hanover Square, London to Eileen Hazlewood Porter

K comments:  Father Richard Wallace Deane was a career soldier and served in WW1. Sister Frances was a Nurse in WW1 and continued to serve the Army base at Catterick after the war. Brother, Richard John Deane served during the First World War and was accidentally killed on 18th July 1917.

Spouse Comments: Eileen Hazlewood Porter

Children:—————-

From original Chailey Blogspot

“Lieutenant Michael Wallace Blencowe Deane, 9th, 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers
Little is known about Michael Wallace Blencowe Deane and his service record has not yet been released to the general public.

He was born in Eccles, Lancashire on 5th September 1896, his birth registered in the December quarter of that year at Barton upon Irwell. He was the son of Richard Woodforde Deane of Bedford and Harriet Deane (nee Blencowe) of Chailey. The 1901 census records the Deane family living at 145 Canterbury Road, Gillingham, Kent. His father, a career soldier, is recorded as a 41-year-old major in the Lancashire Fusiliers. Other members of the family are noted as Harriet (mother, aged 38), Frances (daughter, aged six, born in Eccles, Lancashire), Michael (aged four), Richard J[ohn] (son, aged two, born in Fleetwood) and Dorothea (daughter, aged one, born in Malta). In addition, there were three servants: 22-year-old Ellen Walder, a nurse, born in Chailey; 26-year-old Louisa Philpot, a parlour maid from Rochester, and 18-year-old Ada Knight, a nursery maid from Reading.

Harriet Deane was the daughter of John George Blencowe of Bineham. Her sister, Florence C Drummond, would lose a son, Frederick John Drummond, in the First World War and her siblings, John Ingham Blencowe, Robert Campion Blencowe and Frances Isabel Blencowe, would all play leading roles in Chailey during the First World War.

A full picture of Michael Deane’s school career has not yet come to light but he certainly attended West Downs School, Winchester, playing for the 1st XI cricket team between 1908 and 1910, captaining the side in 1910. He also played for the school football team between 1908 and 1909, captaining that side in 1909. After leaving West Downs he went on to study at Winchester College.

On 12th January 1915, The London Gazette published the following information: “The undermentioned Gentlemen Cadets from the Royal Military College to be Second Lieutenants. Dated 13th January 1915. INFANTRY. The Lancashire Fusiliers. Michael Wallace Blencowe Deane”

Second Lieutenant Michael Deane served first in Gallipoli and latterly in Flanders. Chailey Parish Magazine noted in November 1915 that he was serving with the Lancashire Fusiliers and in July 1916 indicated that he has been promoted to Lieutenant. In January 1917, the additional information that he had been wounded was reported. Three months later, in April 1917, there was a further note to say that he had been Mentioned in Despatches. This information is repeated up to and including the final roll call of Chailey-connected serving men published in July 1919.

Michael Deane’s grandson notes that his grandfather was wounded in the arm in Flanders but survived the war and remained in the army until 1947; a career soldier like his father. During the Second World War, he was in charge of an Army Training Battalion for new recruits in North Wales. He lived in Stonegate, Kent until his death in 1974.

Note: Included in Michaels war history are comments made by serious researchers of the War Forum. The fact that no army records are available leaves some facts to informed speculation.

1908-1910

• West Downs School, Winchester, playing for the 1st XI cricket team between 1908 and 1910, captaining the side in 1910. He also played for the school football team between 1908 and 1909, captaining that side in 1909. After leaving West Downs he went on to study at Winchester College.

1913

• Attended Sandhurst College for cadet officer trainin.On 12th January 1915, The London Gazette published the following information: “The undermentioned Gentlemen Cadets from the Royal Military College to be Second Lieutenants. Dated 13th January 1915. Infantry. The Lancashire Fusiliers. Michael Wallace Blencowe Deane”

  

WW1

Michael Wallace Blencowe Dean 2nd  Lieut, Lieut, Captain, 1st, 9th and 2nd Bns. Lancashire Fusiliers, 

1915

• 12th January 1915, The London Gazette published the following information: “The undermentioned Gentlemen Cadets from the Royal Military College to be Second Lieutenants. Dated 13th January 1915. Infantry. The Lancashire Fusiliers. Michael Wallace Blencowe Deane”
• 1st Oct 1915.  Disembarked for overseas -Gallipoli Peninsular. “The 1st Bn War Diary records the 1st Bn departing Suvla Bay on the night of 14th/15th Dec 1915, so the departure dates do coincide with DEANE’s departure date, however, they appear to have been moved immediately to Helles on 16th Dec 1915. If he served with 1st Bn it is possible that he left Suvla on 15th and was not sent on to Helles. The Bn War Diary is quite detailed and records the names and date of arrival of a number of officers in October 1915. There is no mention of DEANE in Oct, Nov, Dec in the 1st Bn War Diary.” Further thoughts from the war forum” I have to very politely disagree with Old Owl’s point that Regular officers would not have served with Territorial Bns etc. I have seen a few examples in other Regimental War Diaries of Regular officers being temporarily posted to Territorial Battalions and Service Bns in Gallipoli (I have researched in detail all the Bn War Diaries of the 2nd Mounted, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 29th Divs in Gallipoli, so I have trawled through (and transcribed) well over 30 War Diaries so far). If he was a 3rd Bn man as suggested by the (3) this increases the possibilities in my view. There are many cases of officers being posted to completely different regiments and it is important to remember that by the time he arrived in the theatre most Bns had been decimated in the August offensives and were receiving large drafts from the UK. Also Bns were dealing with very high levels of sickness in October so reinforcements were sent where they were needed. Typically the ORs ended up in the right regiments but the Officers were very often sent to other Battalions and other Regiments as circumstances demanded. It is possible that he was posted to another Regiment on a temporary basis or that he was on the Bde or Div staff or elsewhere.The departure date of 15th Dec I think is your best clue. Westlake’s book on Bns at Gallipoli gives departure dates for all battalions (I am skiing so don’t have immediate access to my copy). Best to focus the search to the units in 86th Bde of the 29th Div and then the 34th Bde of the 11th Div as he would very likely have started with either Bde (both containing a Lancs Fus Bn) and if posted to another Regiment I think he would have at least stayed within the Bde. My guess would be that he will be found somewhere in the 86th Bde units which included the1st Bn given the departure date. Looking at 86th Bde War Diaries there is a day by day summary of Effective strengths of each Bn. It shows the 1st Bn Lancs Fus appears to have received a large draft on 12th October. The Bn War Diary records one Officer (hard to read but possibly named Lt Simpson) and 214 ORs arriving on 11th October. The 2nd Royal Fus also receive 4 Officers (named) and 131 ORs on 11th (and a further 3 Officers (named) and 211 ORs on 26th Oct of which 1 Officer and 115 ORs had been sent in error and had to return to the Beach – an example of the confusion) but the R Dublin Fus and R Munster Fus show no reinforcements drafts for 11th/12th. All these units were in the 86th Bde (Source: Bn War Diaries). The dates in the Lancs Fus War Diary and Bde War Diary don’t exactly tie in with DEANE’s but there are again multiple examples of draft arrival dates differing in Div, Bde and Bn level War Diaries, sometimes differing by anything up to 7 days as troops arrived at Mudros and were gradually deployed to Bde then Bn. I suspect it likely he arrived with this draft and was (initially) posted elsewhere, but from the 86th Bde unit diaries he does not show up at Bn level.I have done the same exercise for all the Bn’s in 34th Bde of the 11th Div and his name does not show up in any of the Bn level War Diaries, so my guess he was held at Bde level or Div level in a staff job.I have not researched the 42nd Div yet, so there is a remote chance he served in one of the Territorial Bns. When I get home I will see if there is any mention in Geoffrey Moorhouse’s “Hell’s Foundations: A Town its Myths and Gallipoli” which covers multiple Bn’s of the Lancashire FusiliersAny mistakes are mine. Regards MG”

1916

•  Wounded with the 9th Bn at Moquet Farm on 26 September 1916.

  

 

Sources

1. History of the Lancashire Fusiliers 1916 Annual

MEDALS

Awarded 1914-15 Star, British War medal and the Victory medal with two oak leaves.  Michael was Mentioned in Despatches twice in the London Gazette on 4/1/17 and 5/6/19 both times he was with the 9th Bn. Of note is the fact that Michael applied for these medals as late as 1923, it’s puzzling they were not issued to him directly just after the war.

Notes from War Forum

He was a regular officer ie 1st and 2nd Bns, so he definitely would not have served with any of the Territorial Bns ie 1/6th, 1/7th or 1/8th and almost certainly not with the 9th Bn which was a Service Bn. In the Dec.1915 Army List, he is shown under 1st and 2nd Bns but has a (3) in front of his name which means 3rd Reserve Bn. However his card index states MEF 1915, so one has to assume that he joined the 1st Bn or the 9th Bn on the Peninsula sometime before the end of 1915 in order to qualify for his 1914/15 Star, but when?

The regimental history only has one mention of him and that is in an attack on 25/9/16 with the 9th Bn!!—so I guess he was with the 9th at Gallipoli, most probably as a replacement officer. His service papers would almost certainly reveal this type of information.

He was MID twice L.G. 4/1/17 and 5/6/19 both with the 9th Bn.

Found a reference to your man in Pt.II, ‘War Services of the Officers of the Army, etc.’, HMSO, London, 1923:

“Deane, M.W.B., (Lt. Lan. Fus.)

“1914-19 – Emplyd. as Insp. Prisoners of War G.H.Q. from 19 Apr. 18. Italy?? Jun. 16 to 26 Sep. 16. Gallipoli Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. Egypt Jan. 16 to 18 Mar. 16. Egyptian Expeditionary Force 19 Mar. to 16 Jun. 16 and 13 Jan. 18 to 31 Oct. 18. Wounded. Despatches, Lond. Gaz., 4 Jan. 17 and 5 Jun 19.”

 

Gallery

Two collages of Photographs in the Ancestry of member Denise Collis