Rank: Captain Regiment: "A" Coy. 6th Bn., Dorsetshire Regiment Died: 16/02/1916 Age: 36y Parish: Budleigh Salterton Local Memorials: Budleigh Salterton Roll of Honour, Budleigh Salterton War Memorial, St Peter's Church War Memorial Other Memorial: Ypres (Menin Gate) [Google] PDF Download: BLENCOWE Ernest Cecil
Born in 1881 in Derby, Derbyshire to Ernest Gottwaltz and Sarah Harriet Ellen (nee Smee), Ernest was educated in Bournemouth and Sherborne College, Wiltshire.
He was living in London by 1901 and changed his name to Blenclowe by Deed Poll. He married Ellen Mary Blanche Edwards in 1910 in the Torrington district of Devon. Ellen’s father was The Reverend Nathaniel Edwards, who was the Vicar at East Budleigh when Ellen was born in 1875.
Ernest was killed in France and is remembered with honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial as well as the Budleigh Salterton War Memorial and the brass plaque in St Peter’s Church, Budleigh Salterton.
He was serving with the 6th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment when he died, aged 36. In his will it says he was from Saskatchewan, Canada with a London address in Bayswater. So it looks as though Ernest and Ellen went to Canada and he came home to join up.
A daughter was born in Budleigh Salterton by which time Ellen’s father Revd Edwards was living at 5 Links Road as well. He sadly died there on the 13 June 1916 just four months after Ernest. With a three-year-old to look after Ellen Mary Blanche Blencowe would have had a difficult time. She died, aged 83, in 1958.
Cecil Blencowe, Capt, 6th Batt. Dorsetshire Regiment is listed under 'Died in their Country's Service' in the Budleigh Salterton Roll of Honour.
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You may wish to know that Captain Blencowe was awarded a "Mentioned in Despatches" in General Sir Douglas Haig's Despatch dated 30th April 1916 which was published in the London Gazette, Number 29623, Page 5944, dated 13th June 1916. This would have entitled him to wear the "Emblem" on the ribbon of his Victory Medal.
His name was actually Ernest Cecil Blencowe Blencowe , having changed it from Ernest Cecil Blencowe Gotwatz before the war. His daughter was Eileen Winefred Blanche, my grandmother.