44531 PTE. S. BLINCOW. SUFF. R - wounded Battle of Canal du Nord, 27 September 1918
Sidney Blincow was a sheet iron worker from Tipton in Staffordshire. Born in 1899, he attested his willingness to serve aged 17 years 362 days at Tipton on 3 March 1917.
He was probably mobilised on or around 26 April 1918, shortly after turning 19. He gave his next of kin as his mother, Alice Blincow and his physical development was noted as 'good'. Having been seen by the recruiting medical board at Wolverhampton, on 27 April 1918 he was posted to the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. His regimental number at this time is not known.
After a period of training and conditioning, including dental treatment (one filling) on 25 May, on 3 September 1918 he was posted from the 5th Battalion at Sutton-on-Sea to the BEF. He travelled via Dover to Calais, disembarking in France on 4 September 1918.
Pte Blincow was posted to 1/5th South Staffordshires for records purposes, then at 'K' Infantry Base Depot on 6 September 1918 was compulsorily transferred to the 2nd Suffolk Regiment (then part of 76th Brigade, 3rd Division) and given the new regimental number 44531.
It is not recorded when he joined the battalion in the field but based upon his date of entry into theatre, it would have been some time after the battalion's costly but successful attack on Gomiecourt on 23 August, and possibly as a replacement for one of the battalion's casualties in this attack.
"The village [Gomiecourt] was at the apex of a deep salient in the German front line. The defensive ring of fortifications that the Germans had placed around the village, showed that they valued its commanding position high up on a cup-shaped valley, from where they could see for a considerable distance back into the Allied lines behind the railway line.
The position was considered by some to be impregnable, but as the Suffolks came close to the fortifications, the Germans, seeing that the situation was hopeless, started to turn and run, but not before some held on to the bitter end; keeping their forward machineguns firing against their attackers." (Source: https://www.friendsofthesuffolkregiment.org/operation-legacy/previous/3#)
It is likely that Pte Blincow joined 'Y' Company, which had been one of the rear companies in that day's attack.
He suffered a penetrating wound to the left shoulder on 27 September 1918, during the battle of the Canal du Nord. Having crossed the dry Canal du Nord before zero hour, his injury would have been incurred during his battalion's subsequent attack on Ribecourt and Flesquiéres. This involved passing through the 8th Brigade, who had spearheaded the attack in this sector, to take Flesquiéres with the 1st Gordon Highlanders, whilst 'Y' Company helped the Royal Fusiliers and 8th King's Own Royal Lancasters take the Brown Line south of Ribecourt.
The following account of the action includes a section narrated by Canon William Lummis, later OC of the battalion but then Lieutenant commanding 'X' Company:
' "On 26th September 1918, 2nd Suffolk were positioned in a sunken lane on the west bank of the Canal du Nord. At 3.45am the following morning (27th) ‘Y’ Company moved off to cross the canal. “The bed of the canal was dry” noted the Regimental History “with steep bricked sides, which could only be negotiated with the help of ladders, and during the night, it was decided that this obstacle should be crossed before zero hour”.
Canon William Lummis, then Lieutenant Lummis, was commanding 'X' Company. He recalled the preparations: "The orders were that the Battalion was to be in position on the west side of the canal and cross at Zero hour. All the Company Commanders were strongly of the opinion that this was a mistake and liable to lead to disaster. Immediately the enemy realised it there would be a barrage of shells and m.g. bullets into the canal and near it, making it difficult and perhaps impossible to cross to the other side. We advocate[d] that we should cross before Zero and line up on the opposite bank where there would be cover as well as giving a good starting point."
Agreeing to this, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Carpenter, ordered the first two Companies [to] cross into the canal. Unfortunately, just as Lummis was moving forward with his, the third Company, Zero hour came and down came with it the Allied artillery barrage. Within a minute came the counter barrage from the enemy.
“I got over with my H.Q., but on looking back saw to my dismay that none of the rest of my Company had followed. In spite of the shells dropping into the canal and machine-gun fire C.S.M. Wiggett went back and brought the four platoons over, together with my only subaltern – 2nd Lieutenant Hunt, of the Hunts Cyclists – who was in the rear of the company. My men were mostly transfers from the South Staffords with 6 months service. Very good fellows, but it was their first taste of being in action [Similar would apply to Pte Blincow in 'Y' Company]. Also Hunt had only recently joined from England and had seen no service.”
...
The two other battalions in the Brigade; 1st Gordon Highlanders and 8th King’s Own Royal Lancasters (K.O.R.L.) moved off first. ‘Y’ Company was to follow the K.O.R.L. in the south, and shadow them onto their objective which was the village of Ribecourt, whilst ‘Z’ Company in the north, were to follow the Gordons and head towards the village of Flesquieres. ‘W’ Company remained in reserve “ready to assist the attack on any part of the Brigade front”. They were to establish a position if possible, in Ravine Avenue, which ran between Havrincourt and Ribecourt, north to Flesquieres.
Considerable fighting was experienced by both ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ Companies before they got to the Red line (mid-way between the old Hindenburg Line and the Hindenburg Support Line) and the K.O.R.L.s started to become fragmented.
Seeing that a large gap was developing in his sector, the commander of ‘Y’ Company, Lieutenant Cook, decided to split from the K.O.R.L.s and veer right south of the railway towards Ribecourt. “He therefore on his own initiative” wrote the C.O. “moved his company south of the railway and filled this gap and fought his way forward under the barrage to the western outskirts of Ribecourt. He advanced conjointly with a Company of the Royal Fusiliers which had lost all its officers and was very ably commanded by its C.S.M. These two companies overcame heavy resistance all the way taking many prisoners and established themselves on the brown line, south of the railway”.
‘Z’ Company under Lieutenant Teverson, were up close to the barrage and were by now fighting their way through Flesquieres village and had reached Ravine Avenue Trench on the east of the village where they were halted by heavy enemy fire from Station Avenue Trench about 100 yard in front of them.
‘X’ Company, under the command of Captain Lummis, could by now see that ‘Y’ Company were heading off to fill the gap, and they moved northwards up behind the K.O.R.L.s who were heading towards Flesquieres.
Heavy fighting was encountered around the Hindenburg Support Line (south of the village), but reaching Ravine Avenue, they paused to re-group before digging in just beyond it. Behind them, ‘W’ Company were in the southern end of Ravine Avenue between ‘Z’ in the north and ‘Y’ Company in the south. As the majority of his Battalion were far in front of him, the C.O. Lieutenant-Colonel G.C. Carpenter, moved Battalion HQ forward to the crossroads at the west of Flesquieres following the route of ‘Z’ Company’s advance.
“At this time the Battalion was very mixed up” wrote Carpenter “but W. X. and Z Coys. were soon located although I could get no news of Y. Coy. At this time the enemy were still in Skull Support and Station Avenue and Flesquieres-Ribecourt road and vicinity was under M.G. and artillery fire. I then ordered Z. Coy. to clear Skull Support and station Avenue and try and get in touch with the Guards in Beet Trench”.
Carpenter believed that ‘Y’ Company were still complete and with the K.O.R.L.s out in front, but it was not until their C.O. appeared at Battalion HQ, that he learnt how scattered they were. Carpenter then issued verbal orders to him that he was [to] consolidate his company in Station Avenue Trench. Battalion HQ was moved once more in the afternoon, to a new position at the crossroads west of Flesquieres.
Late in the afternoon, orders were received at Battalion HQ to move forward and consolidate Kaiser Support Trench with two Companies and keep the other two back in Ravine Avenue. Later that evening, the Gordons relieved ‘Z’ Company out in front at 7.30pm.
Carpenter wrote later “It is difficult to estimate captures but several hundred prisoners were taken, one field battery and about 50 M.G. The material however is not exclusive to this Battalion owing to the mix up of units. The attack was carried out with very great dash and determination by all ranks who all pressed on irrespective of who they were with after they had lost their platoons. I am forwarding a list of recommendations for gallantry, but I wish to give special prominence to the very fine leadership and initiative shown by 2nd Lieut. Cook, Captain Lummis and 2nd Lieut. Teverson. I think these three Coys. played a very large part in the capture of the Brown Line. They were quite out of my command from zero and had to act entirely on their own”.'
(Source: https://www.friendsofthesuffolkregiment.org/operation-legacy/archives/09-2018)
Major Denys Reitz, then second-in-command of the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers, traversed some of this ground after the battle and in 'The Great War - I Was There' commented "...I bore away towards Flesquiéres by way of the numerous rear trenches of the Hindenburg system. These had all been taken by the successive assaulting columns and each trench was occupied by the men who had taken it. Everywhere lay hundreds of khaki-clad and field grey dead, and everywhere improvised dressing-stations were dealing with the wounded."
Pte Blincow was admitted to 57th (?)* Casualty Clearing Station the following day and then from 5th General Hospital transferred home on 1 October 1918 via the Hospital Ship Guildford Castle. He subsequently appeared on the War Office daily List for 5 November 1918.
*at that time at Mingoval, close to Aubigny and 12 miles southwest of Arras
After a period at Western General Hospital and a week's furlough, he was subsequently posted to 3rd Suffolks, with effect from 31 October. His Army Form W.3016 notes that he had previously been on the strength of Y Company, 2nd Suffolks.
Having been hospitalised with influenza from 4 January 1919, he was discharged to Cambridge hospital, Aldershot for dispersal on 24 January 1919. His Soldier's Protection Certificate was issued at Clipstone on the same day. His address on discharge was 33 Bradley Lane, Coseley, near Bilton, Staffordshire and his medical category was given as A1.
For his service, he was entitled to the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
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