Captain E Blencowe – Dorsetshire Regiment

I have returned to the Western Front after my week in Normandy.

Today I tried to find the area where Captain E.C.B Blencowe was killed. I recently came into possession of his medal set and wanted to walk in his footsteps and the vicinity where he died which resulted in his Mention in Despatches. His body was never found and is the highest-ranking officer of the Dorsetshire Regiment commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.

Ernest Gottwaltz which was his original name pre war was born in 1880 to Sarah Harriet Ellen and Ernest Gottwaltz. He married in 1910 to Ellen Mary Blanche Edwards and had a daughter in 1913. At the outbreak of war Ernest did two things. He anglicised his name from Gottwaltz, a German surname to Blencowe and also, he enlisted into the British army. He finished his officer training course on September 14^th 1914 as a Captain and was posted to the newly raised 6^th battalion Dorsetshire Regiment where he arrived in France in early 1915. On the 6^th of September 1915 the 6^th Battalion was raised at Dorchester and was attached to the 17^th Northern Division. In 1915 they were transferred to the 50^th brigade in the 17^th and in 1916 the 17^th was sent to the bluff.

The Bluff was a mound of spoil created when the Belgians were building the Ypres–Comines Canal before the First World War. This mound was the only position on the Ypres Salient where the British were higher than the Germans. After the first battle of Ypres in 1914, the front line ran at right angles across the canal. The British front line on the north bank, just east of the Bluff.  No man’s land was about 150 yards wide and narrowed to about only 40 yards opposite a German salient which was called the Bean by the British and Der Helm by the Germans. Due to the view and strategical advantage this small German salient had, the British wanted it back. The Germans had used underground mine warfare creating huge craters in the Bluff. You can still see these today.

17th (Northern) Division had moved to relieve 3rd Division in the canal sector between 5 and 8 February 1916, and placed 51st Brigade on a 1300 yard front at the Bluff position. It was also responsible for the south bank and had 52nd Brigade there. Enemy shellfire began to fall on both brigade fronts in the morning of 14 February, intensifying on the Bluff from mid-afternoon. (The enemy was also shelling 24th Division at Hooge at this time). British artillery began to retaliate and the infantry at the Bluff stood by to meet an anticipated attack. All telephone wires were cut by the shelling, which severely affected the ability of units in the front line to call for support. German tunnellers blew three small mines at 5.45pm, one under the Bluff (which buried a platoon of the 10/Lancashire Fusiliers sheltering in an old tunnel) and two slightly further north, under the 10/Sherwood Foresters. Shortly afterwards, German infantry attacked between the canal bank and the Ravine. They entered and captured the front-line trenches but were driven out of the support lines behind the front. Small local efforts to counterattack over the next two days failed. The all-important Bluff position had been lost, and it would take more than localised efforts to regain it. The operations in the area of the Bluff from the start of the enemy attack to noon on 17 February cost the British 1,294 casualties.

One of those small counter attacks over the next few days involved the Dorsetshire Regiment and Capt. Blencowe. Due to these mines the Germans had managed to push the British off the Bluff and on the 16^th February 1916 he was part of the mission to recapture it. The attack on the 16^th February 1916 was to be spearheaded by two companies of the Dorsetshire Regiment. A Company commanded by Blencowe and C company commanded by Major Hughes. A company was deployed on the right of the canal and C on the left.  Their objective was to capture an intrenched position called crater trench. In the Bluff

The so named Crater Trench was a German entrenched position made into the walls of the German mine explosion crater.  On the 16^th of February the attack started with both companies moving up the canal to the trench. As they came closer, they came across two shell craters with some Germans dug in. The commander of C company was shot dead. After this Blencowe was now in command of both companies. Blencowe gave command of C company to Lt Broad to support the frontal attack on the crater.

The men found that the Germans were more entrenched that was first thought and fighting uphill into the craters was very difficult and at very close quarters.

The companies were informed there were no proper trenches along the Bluff and when Blencowe advanced towards the crater a machine gun position opened up on them. Blencowe was shot through the chest and killed leading his men up into the position. For this he got a MID (Mentioned in Dispatches) If he had lived, he would have probably won an MC (Military Cross). He was 36.

It took until the 1^st March 1916 for the British to recapture the Bluff.