Born in Banbury in 1890 Frederick William Blencowe son of James Blencow (1857-1914) and (Caroline Boazman) 1855-1920 he was to become a career soldier and in some way following his father James who was a veteran of the South African war.

Frederick ‘joined up’ at just 18yrs of age in 1908 and from then went on to serve 40 years, mostly overseas in Burma, India, and Mesopotamia. 

In 1910 Frederick left for Rangoon in Burma (Myanmar) where his 2nd Surrey Regiment was training and on Garrison duties. Manoeuvres were carried out in India as well, and Frederick was establishing working relationship with the Indian Army before the war.

In 1914 on the outbreak of WW1 he and his regiment were returned to England to prepare for the war.

At this time his 2nd Surrey Regiment was attached to the Supply and Transport Company which was to evolve into the Army Services Corps and its role to supply to the troops whatever they needed especially Ammunition etc.

It was in 1915 that he may have said goodbye to family and England for many years if not forever, as we have no records for his return to Banbury.  Frederick was to go back to India and take up an attachment to the Indian Army that spanned the next 33 years.

In India he was to become a Staff Sergeant of a Divisional Train of the Indian Army Services Corps. A divisional train at this time dependant on Horse transport and  carriage to deliver supplies.

In 1917 Frederick was becoming a part of the establishment community in India  on 20th October 1917 its recorded at Alexandra Lodge, Jubbulpore,  Bombay Frederick joined the Freemasons in India. Shortly after this the Indian ASC (IASC) moved to Bagdad in Mesopotamia to establish a 18th Divisional Train there for the war in that region.

In 1918 he was attached to the 18th Divisional Train IASC that was headquartered in Bagdad.

After 1919 his frontline activity, was recognised with a General Service Medal with clasps for Iraq and Kurdistan  as well as British/Indian Army medals for WW1. Note, it was not until 1919 that Iraq as a country existed and this clasp award tells it was after that year this award was made. You may wonder, why if only attached was he given Indian Army WW1 medals, well this relates to later service with the Indian Army and in fact he was sent two lots of medals and he sent the British Army ones back.

After the world war Frederick is found in the British 1921 Census living in barracks in Risalpur (now Pakistan) as a Private with the 5th Irish Lancers. The 5th Irish Lancers was a Regiment being disbanded and so we can only speculate that his wish and intention was to stay in India and he took a demotion temporarily joining the 5th Irish and things unfolded from then on, and he formerly joining the Indian Army.

Now with the Indian Army he moved to Ambala and later at that place in 1924 married Brenda Doreen Lowe 1903–1967 from Wallasey, Cheshire. She was the daughter of an Indian Army soldier. They settled down in Ambala and it appears no children were produced.

Prior to the outbreak of war in 1938, Frederick was granted a commission in the Indian Army as a Lieutenant then later as a Captain in the Indian Army Departments. Staff Lists appear for the years 1939-1941. In this administrative role his Army experience was used to help supply and organise troops of the Indian Army which was to grow to 2.5million soldiers by the end of the war, fighting in Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, Italy and Burma.

On the 19 May 1939 Frederick is appointed Assistant Commissary Indian Army. London Gazette: India Office, and its appears served until at least 1942 when his retirement as Acting Major is announced .

He was granted WW2 medals for his service and in 1948 recognised rather puzzling for 40 years service with the Indian Army . He joined up in 1908 so continuous service with two armies was indeed 40 years. This was likely a move to raise his pension, as it doesn’t reflect the facts as we know them.

Because of this career, he is one of several Blencowe’s who served in both world wars. Having lived with Doreen in India since the early 20’s and with partition coming they decided not to return to England but seek out further adventures.

A true colonial it seems that after India’s independence in 1947 he moved with his wife to live in Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), he disappears at this stage although a record of his wife’s death in 1967 in Rhodesia exists.

Fredericks story is one of nearly a thousand such stories documented in the one name study of ‘Blencowe’s that Served’ that can be accessed at blencowe.one-name.net.   It should be noted this study includes the spouses and children of Blencowes so many other surnames are documented here.