Information on Albert E. BLENCOWE 1/4th KSLI

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Acornoz
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
Joined: Tuesday, 13-11-2012

Good afternoon.

I am a medal collector in Australia with a special interest in the French Croix de guerre. I recently added to my collection a First World War set of medals (British War Medal 1914-1920, Victory Medal and Territorial Force War Medal) named to 200318 Corporal Albert E. Blencowe, 1/4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry. The medals are accompanied by a 'Bligny cockade'.

The cockade is a piece of Croix de guerre ribbon formed into a bow to be worn attached to the SD hat or side cap and worn in commemoration of the award by the commander of the French Fifth Army of the Croix de guerre with bronze palm to 1/4th KSLI for its actions at Bligny in France on 6 June 1918.

I am currently writing an article on Albert Blencowe's medals and the Battle of Bligny, for publication in the journal of either the Orders and Medals Research Society or the Orders and Medals Society of America. While I know literally chapter and verse on the KSLI, the Battle of Bligny and the unit level awards of the Croix de guerre to British Army units during the First World War, I know nothing about Albert Blencowe, apart from the fact that he served with 1/4th KSLI and survived the war (his medal entitlement is confirmed as I have a copy of his medal information card).

I can extrapolate from his medals that he was already a serving Territorial at the outbreak of the war and that there is a good possibility that he was present at Bligny, however, that's it.

I am posting to the forum to see if there is anybody in the SFHS who knows anything about Albert Blencowe or his family or can put me touch with someone who can assist me.

Regards,

Graham Wilson

Gulielmus
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      Hello Graham,

    Pure speculation, but age would be about right and place of birth Whitchurch Shropshire Ok for KSLI.

  You can find him on both 1901 and 1911 census as born 1894 in Whitchurch.

  1911 census shows him as a Plumbers Apprentice.

   Hope this may be of some help with your research, if you are unable to access 1901 or 1911 census please come back.

         Regards Gulielmus.

Gulielmus
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               Graham, further to your request for information, Re:- Albert Blencowe.

  It appears we only had one family with this name at the relevant period in time living in Shropshire.

  Father not born in county but mother and children 'Proud Salopians' as all born locally.

  Brother Harry, born 1900 joined the army in 1915 making  claim to be 19 years old,  but must have regretted this as he later went AWOL.

             Gulielmus.

Michael J Hulme
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Hello Graham

You might like to have a look at the Shropshire Regimental Museum web site and possibly contact them to see if the name means anything to them. They would probably appreciate photographs of the medals and your name and address so they can make a note of the location of the medals.

The surname BLENCOWE, and its many variants, seems to be quite unusual and doesn't have its origin in Shropshire although by the time of the 1881 census there was one person living in Shropshire.

If you look at the Police Roll of Honour Police Constable Francis Jesse Blencowe died 19 February 1966, aged 43 at Shrewsbury. With such an unusual name it is quite possible these two men are related.

Mike

havern
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Joined: Saturday, 4-06-2011

Hello Graham,

Have a look on Google at Blencowe Family Association website and also Blencoew Down Under. Maybe they have a connection. It seems extremely likely, I would say.

On Ancestry Albert is "Albert E." 1st/4th K.S.L.I., Corporal Regimental numbers 200318 and 1746. I don't seem to be able to find his service papers on there, unfortunately.

Hope this helps. Hazel

Acornoz
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
Joined: Tuesday, 13-11-2012

Good afternoon (my time) Gulielmus. Apologies for the late response, I have been travelling a bit over the past week and a bit so have been neglecting the web.

Thank you for the information in this and your next post. It is very helpful and I will access both the 1901 and 1911 censuses straight away.

Regards,

Graham W

Acornoz
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
Joined: Tuesday, 13-11-2012

Good afternoon Michael.

Thank you for your post. I will certainly be chasing PC Blencowe up as a possible relative.

Regards,

Graham W

Acornoz
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
Joined: Tuesday, 13-11-2012

Good afternoon Hazel and thank you for your post.

Great advice! It hadn't even occurred to me to try to track down a Blencowe family association and I will be getting straight on to that. Just goes to show that when in doubt, turn to the experts.

I already had the two numbers for Albert Blencowe and I'm pretty sure that the smaller one (1746) is his pre-war regimental number. When the TF was formed in 1908 the British Army was still using the 1881 numbering system, which had commenced with the number '1' for the first person enlisted in a unit and continued through consecutively and this numbering system was technically still in use up until 1919. As the 4th KSLI was technically a new unit in 1908, existing members would have been allotted new numbers starting at '1' and the first new enlistment would get the next number in the sequence after the highest already existing number. Albert's number is relatively low, which suggests to me that he was either an already existing member of one of the two Volunteer battalions of KSLI (1st and 2nd (V) Battalion) that merged to form the new 4th (Territorial) Battalion, or that he enlisted soon after the new battalion was raised.

His second number (200318) sort of has me stumped, but only for a short time. It is not a post-1920 number as the block allotted to KSLI by AO388/21 was 4025001 - 4070000. However, I am aware from other research that new blocks of numbers were issued during the First World War and as soon as I can find time to get over to the AWM and drag their copies of Army Council Instructions off the shelves in the Research Centre I'm pretty confident that I will find that Albert's second number was allotted during the war, which explains why that number appears on his medals.

Thanks again for your great suggestions.

Regards,

Graham W

oxlade134@yahoo...
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
Joined: Thursday, 15-11-2012

Graham,

I am a Blencowe Family Association member and researching all Blencowes who served their countries. I have a web site that features the photos of many. www.blencowesdownunder.com/blncwes-in-the-miltry.html. As far as I can ascertain there is no service record for Albert Edward but you have the correct serial numbers which are recorded in his medal list record under Albert E Blencowe

I can help you with the family history details of Albert Edward who was one of four Blencowe brotherss from Whitchurch that served . One Percy Blencowe 1896 was KIA at Paschendale in 1917.

Percy Blencowe was in 2nd/1st (Shropshire) Bty. Royal Horse Artillery -  he was a stretcher bearer and was blown up on the battlefield at Paschendale, dying of his wounds on 8th July 1917, age 21

Please contact me direct via the www.blencowesdownunder.com website and I will send you what I have.

Roger Blinko

Acornoz
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Last seen: 11 years 18 weeks ago
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Roger,

thank you for your post.

Albert's service record is part of the infamous "burnt records" series of service records that were fully or partially destroyed by fire during a German air raid on London in 1940 so as you say, alas, no service record. Luckily, the medal record cards were elsewhere and were not damaged at all.

Running up against a "burnt record" in UK research always makes me realise how lucky we are here in Australia to have our First and Second World War service records complete and undamaged and for the First World War almost all available on line (don't get me started on the National Archives of Australia's practice of combining WW1 records with WW2 records for people who served in both conflicts and then not digitizing the records, effedtively cutting researchers off from easy access to First World War records that according to NAA are all available on the web).

Thanks for giving me Albert's second name and also the information on Percy Blencowe.

I'll definitetly be contacting you privately.

Regards,

Graham W

pamela h
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Hi Graham. I am new to the Shropshire Family History site but was amazed to see information about Albert Edward Blencowe. He is /was my Great Uncle. I had found information about his brother Percy (1897) who died on 8th July 1917, aged 21, at Lijsenthoek Belgium, he was in the Royal Horse Artillery..                    He was brother to Albert Edward (12,06.1893),George 1891,Charles Leonard 01.03.1894,William 1892 (who probably died at birth), Catherine Bridget 19.06.1892, Harry 1900  and Francis Jesse 26.06.1895/6, my Grandfather. Their father Charles Leonard (1869) was born in Bicester and was a baker and moved to Whitchurch. There mother was Margaret O'Hara.  I understand that Albert Edward lived latterly in Ellsmere Port Lancashire. I would really love to have a photo of the medals etc and a copy of your artical to add to my family ancestry information. I hope I am not too late in replying for this information to get to you.       Kind regards. Pam

pamela h
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Last seen: 10 years 9 weeks ago
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Hi Graham . Regarding thie information in the last post ,if you are able  could contact me directly my email is pam@kharki.fsnet.co.uk.with any info. Interestingly Albert Edwards nephew (my Father ) emigrated to Australia in 1972 and died their in 2000. He had no knowledge of any Blencowes living in Oz.

Michael J Hulme
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I have sent an email to Acornoz pointing out this new posting.

Mike

Miss_P
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Last seen: 3 years 6 weeks ago
Joined: Sunday, 14-02-2021

Good morning,

I appreciate this post was created quite a few years ago but I'd be grateful if you could provide any information/photos you have found on Albert Edward Blencowe. He was my Great Grandfather, Gerald Edward Blencowe is my Grandfather. There is reference to Albert being admitted to hospital in 1917, he was wounded with a shot in the head but survived, I still have the bullet that was removed. 

Thankyou in advance.

Pauline

Michael J Hulme
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Last seen: 6 hours 56 min ago
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Hello Miss_P

I have sent an email to Acornoz pointing out this new posting.

Mike (Admin)

Miss_P
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Joined: Sunday, 14-02-2021

Thank you Mike