Hinks Ernest William 1879 – Blencowe Family in World War One

Ernest William Hinks

1879-1966

Father Nm: Henry Hinks 1833–1905. BIRTH BEF 03 JULY 1833 • Fringford, Oxfordshire, England. DEATH DEC 1905 • Fringford, Oxfordshire, , England

Mother Nm: Elizabeth Cadd 1842–1933. BIRTH 1 MAR 1842 • Preston Bissett, Buckinghamshire, England,. DEATH 1933 • Fringford, Oxfordshire, , England

Marriage Dt:23 Sep 1903 • Mixbury, Oxfordshire, England

K comments:

Spouse comments: Emily Sophia Blencowe [3965] c 19.7.1874 Mixbury –1969. BIRTH 9 July 1874 • Mixbury
DEATH JAN 1969 • Ploughley, Oxfordshire, England

(Research): Ontario Births, 1869-1912

Oldest Known Ancestor: Jonathan Hinks 1792–1877. BIRTH ABT 1792 • Weston On The Green, Oxfordshire, England. DEATH MAR 1877 • Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Birth

25 March 1879 Fringford, Oxfordshire

Before the War

1881 Census

Fringford Oxfordshire
Hy. Hinks 47 Labourer
Elizabeth Hinks 39
Emma Hinks 13
Loesia Hinks 11
Lucey Hinks 5
Edith Hinks 4
Ernest Hinks 1

1891 Census

Fringford Oxfordshire
Henry Hinks 57 Hurdle Maker
Elizabeth Hinks 49
Edith J Hinks 14
Ernest W Hinks 12
Joseph Hinks 8
William Brown Boarder
Nelson Chapman Boarder

1901 Census

Fringford Oxfordshire

Henry Hinks 67 Carpenter
Elizabeth Hinks 59
Ernest W Hinks 22 Carpenter
Joseph Hinks 18 Labourer
Eliza H L Arnsling 3

1911 Census

Fringford Oxfordshire

Ernest William Hinks 31 Hurdle Maker
Emily Sophia Hinks 36
Henry Arthur Hinks 6
Edith Emily Hinks 1

WW1

Hinks Ernest William, 1879, Sapper, Private, 231057, 35207, 491st Field Coy, RE’s.13th Bn Gloucester Regt.

Note: 491st 1/2nd (Home Counties) Field Company TF, joined 5th Division

1916

5 June. Enlisted at Coventry. Age 37 years and a Carpenter by trade.
6 June. Placed on Army Reserve.

1917

25 January. Posted to Royal Engineers Depot skilled Carpenter noted on records and this is the work he was destined to do for the RE’s.
WW1 Soldier carpenters at work.
17 February. Taken on service of 2nd Reserve Battalion Royal Engineers.
10 September. Posted to join 43rd Bn. RE in France
14 September. Landed at Le Havre.
October. Joined the 13th Bn. Gloucester Regiment and given a new number 35207. However,. this was for just a few days…
14 November. Transferred back to RE Depot. the reason more useful as a carpenter to the war effort.
27 November. Transferred from Depot to 491st Field Coy attach to the British 5th Division. Joined the unit in the Ypres sector where they had supported the 5th Division in Battles Ypres including Passchendaele. However, Ernest got lucky no sooner had he arrived in the muddy hell of Flanders he and his unit along with all attached units of the 5th Division were off for sunny Italy.

Note: “A major change now occurred with 5th Division being one of five British formations selected to be moved to Italy. This was a strategic and political move agreed by the British Government at the request of the Allied Supreme War Council, as an effort to stiffen Italian resistance to enemy attack after a recent disaster at Caporetto. Many diaries at this time, by men who had witnessed slaughter in the floods of Passchendaele, talk of the move and Italy as being “like another world”. Much work was done preparing to move into the mountainous area of the Brenta, but eventually, the Division was instead moved to the line along the River Piave, taking up positions in late January 1918. Unfortunately, this pleasant period was not to last, for the Division was recalled hurriedly to France, once the enemy had made an attack in overwhelming strength on 21 March.” from The Long Long Trail.

15th-16th Nov. Relieved by the New Zealand Division the 5th Div. said goodbye to the Ypres front and via train travelled to the south of France then on to Genoa and to Piave District camp near to the Piave River at Monticello.

4^th Dec. The XI and XIV British Corps relieved the Italians on the Montello sector of the Piave front, with the French on their left. The Montello sector acted as a hinge to the whole Italian line, joining that portion facing north from Mount Tomba to Lake Garda with the defensive line of the River Piave covering Venice, which was held by the Third Italian Army.
A group of young Italian women employed by the British Army to unload artillery ammunition at a railhead dump in northern Italy,

Other Blencowes who served in Italy with 5th Division; Richard Blencoe 1897 Tamworth, Thomas Blincowe 1891 Northampton, and Arthur Blencowe 1891 Oxford.

1918

January. Based on the River Piave in the Italian Alps .
Piave front
March. Ordered along with the 5th Division to return to France.
Apr. The German Spring Offensive- Bois de Nieppe. The 5^th Infantry travelled again by trains which went via the Riviera and up the Rhone Valley, others by the Mont Cenis route, and Frevent, Mondicourt., and Doullens were reached on 7th April. The Germans by this time were within 10 miles of Amiens.²
“The Division detrained in the pouring rain, and the Head-Quarters settled themselves in the picturesque village of Aucheux, the Artillery at Occoches, and the Brigades at Sus-St. Leger, Neuvillette, and Ivergny. The orders were to relieve the 2nd Canadians, South of Arras, on the Basseux-Wailly front, and, accordingly, after the usual reconnaissances, the troops moved up on the 10th to take over the line.”²
12 April Battles Of The Lys – Battle Of Hazebrouck Including Defence Of Nieppe Forest – Location: Le Vert Bois. Allied victory. Continuation of German Operation Georgette, Spring Offensive; German Sixth Army attacking British First Army and German Fourth Army against British Second Army.The Div. was ordered to take a line that was to be held at all costs, from Robecq in the South, through the Forest (Bois de Nieppe), to La Motte Chateau.

The Battle at Hazebrouck. The second shows the allied line and where the 5th Division were placed directly in front of Merville.

12-15 April. “In these three days, the 5th Division had saved the situation on this part of the Western Front and had stopped the German thrust on the important town of
Hazebrouck. The Infantry, fresh from their four months in Italy, had gone into the attack with a marvellous dash and spirit, and their steadfastness in withstanding the furious and continuous onslaughts of the enemy was magnificent.” ²
May-August. Nieppe Forest. The 5th Division held the line at the Forest for 4 months and in this time there were several raids on enemy territory undertaken.
28 June. 5th Div took part in attack towards River Plate Becque.
Attack of 28th June
The 5th Div history tells us this about the summer living conditions in the Nieppe Forest. “All July the weather was very hot. The Forest grew insufferably stuffy, and mosquitoes added to the discomforts; but life there had its pleasant moments: the early mornings were fresh and often quite quiet; one heard nightingales singing and saw a few pheasants close up to the front. There were even some roe-deer, too, which escaped the gas ….there was no malaria, which might have been expected
owing to the swamps and mosquitoes, there was a good deal of mild fever about, called ” P.U.O.” ; and, from what was heard, the enemy suffered from it too — they
called it ” Merville fever.” ²
14 August. On the 14th the Division en-trained at St. Omer and Wizernes for the Frevent area, East of St. Pol, being held in G.H.Q. reserve.
18 August. “On the night of 18th August, the Division moved to the Authies-Doullens area. Great secrecy was observed. During the day no moves were permitted; fortunately, the sky was overcast, and no hostile aeroplanes could
report the concentration in progress.” ²

100 Days Advance.

Ernest in his role as a carpenter would have been tasked with all sorts of building projects as the 5th Division moved around, but in the last 100 days of the war, work would be like the movement of the allied forces much frenzied as the battalions moved far greater distances and more rapidly than ever before.

19. August. The 5th Division was to form part of the IV Corps consisting of 5th, 37th, 63rd (R.N.) Divisions (replaced later by the 42nd), and the New
Zealand Divisions.. On this day they moved to near Couin and Coigneux and on the 20th Aug. assembled at between Hannes and Essarts, some 4000 yards from the front.
21 August. Attack on Achiet-Le Petit. By the end, the 5th Div had advanced more than two miles and had captured over 500 prisoners, a Battery of
77 mm. guns, and one howitzer, a large number of machine-guns, rifles, and trench-mortars, and much other material.
23 August. 5th Division advance again and capture Irles and Loupart Wood.
26 August. An attack on Beugnatre part of a plan to envelop Bapaume was successfully carried out.
29 August. Patrols were pushed through Bapaume by the New Zealanders, and a combined attack along the whole of the IV. Corps and part of the VI. Corps front was ordered for 30th Aug. Result was advance continued to West of Beugny. The capture of Beugny and advance to East of Velu. “At this point the 5th Division was relieved. The Division had been fighting almost continuously since 21st August, during which time it had advanced close on 14 miles. The casualties had been severe — 210 Officers and 4065 other ranks — but not out of proportion to the results gained.” ²

Note: “It was intensely hot in this period …… Royal Engineers had followed up closely in order to re-open up the water-supplies or bore new wells, and, in addition. Tank Lorries had been used so that at no time was there a real shortage, though the problem of watering horses was difficult. The Divisional Train, under Lieut.-Col. Wood also gave great assistance by improvising water-carriers out of petrol-tins, and in converting G.S. wagons to
water-tanks by the use of tarpaulins .” 2

18 and 27 September Two attacks on African Trench. then capture of African Trench and Beaucamp Ridge near Villers Guislain.
28-30 September. Capture of Gonnelieu and Banteux.
30 September. Ernest is granted 14 days leave to England.
14 Oct. On the last day of his leave, Ernest is admitted to St Marks 2nd London General Hospital, Chelsea. He is run down and suffering from boils and because its late into the war is demobilised and discharged from Hospital on the 27th.

After the War

1921 Census

Fringford, Bicester, Bicester Kings End, Oxfordshire

Ernest William	Hinks	Head	Male	1879	42	Fringford, Oxfordshire, England	Building Carpenter	Lewis Penar Launton Oxon
Emily Sophia	Hinks	Wife	Female	1874	46	Fringford, Oxfordshire, England	–	–
Henry Arthur	Hinks	Son	Male	1904	17	Mixbury, Oxfordshire, England	Labourer Builders	Out Of Work
Edith Emily	Hinks	Daughter	Female	1910	11	Fringford, Oxfordshire, England	–	–
Louisa Mary	Hinks	Daughter	Female	1915	5	Fringford, Oxfordshire, England	–	–
Gladys Marjorie	Hinks	Daughter	Female	1919	1	Fringford, Oxfords