Blackshaw William Henry

BLACKSHAW, WILLIAM HENRY

		Source
		CWGC	SDGW	Uttoxeter Advertiser	Other
Parents	William and Eliza Blackshaw				2d
Where born	Upper Tean, Staffordshire			1a	2d 2e
When born	abt 1887			5	2d 2e
Address	Cheadle Road, Uttoxeter			1a
	55 Cheadle Road, Uttoxeter				4 4b 4j 4m
	Brother and wife after his death: 63 Cheadle Road, Uttoxeter				4f 4b 4t 4u 4v
Spouse	Yes			1a 1c 1d
Spouse	Olive Jessie Blackshaw				4b 4f 4h 4m
Children	Yes			1a 1c 1d
Children	William Henry (born in Uttoxeter on 23rd June 1914) and Elsie Irene (born in Uttoxeter on 15th September 1915				4b 4k 4m
Employment Before Joining up	1901: Assistant Tape Weaver				2e
	Immediately before joining-up: Prudential Insurance Company			1a	4a
	Insurance Agent
When enlisted	7th June 1916				4a 4b 4n 4w
Service started	26th July 1916				4g
Where Enlisted	Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire		Yes
Regiment	North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales’s)	Yes	Yes	1a 1c 1d	4a 4f 4h 4q 4r 4s 4t 4v 4w
Unit	29/7/16: 6th Bn				4n
	1/9/16: 3rd/5th Bn				4n
	18/11/16: 1st/5th Bn				4n
	1st/5th Bn	Yes	Yes	1d	4s 4t 4v 4w
	5/12/16: D Company
	5th (Res) Bn				4g
	5th Bn			1c	4r
	‘D’ Company				4g v4q
Rank	Private	Yes	Yes	1a 1b 1c 1d	4f 4g 4h 4n 4v
Service Number	Initially 5959				4q
	Then: 6998				4n 4q 4w
	From 5/12/16: 20001				4g 4h
	20001				4r 4s
	Finally: 202577	Yes	Yes		4f 4h 4r 4t
Date of Death	20 Mar 1917	Yes	Yes	1a 1b 1c 1d	4g 4n 4p 4q 4w
Age at time of death	30			1a
Where Killed or died	Pas de Calais - Bucquoy	Yes		1e
	Casualty Clearing Station			1a
	20 Casualty Clearing Station				4g
	France			1a 1b 1c 1d
	Died of Wounds				4q 4w
	Died of Wounds received in Action – Shoulder, Leg R & Face				4g
How he died	Died of wounds		Yes	1a 1b 1c 1d	4g 4n 4p
Location of Grave or Memorial	Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, Grave V.E.6.	Yes
Awards	British War Medal				4b 4m
Awards	Victory Medal				4b 4m

Photograph with kind permission from the Uttoxeter Advertiser

William was a native of Tean and born to William and Eliza Blackshaw2d of 55 Cheadle Road, Uttoxeter. He was their second child.

The 1891 Census shows that he was a four-year-old scholar and living with his parents and siblings (a brother and two sisters) in Upper Tean, Checkley. His father was a baker.

During the night of the 1901 Census he was living with his father, sister and brother at 55, Uttoxeter Road, Tean. We do not know whether his mother had died, left home or was merely staying at another address when the Census was taken.

By this time William was about 14 years old and his occupation was given as Assistant Tape Weaver. By the time he enlisted he was employed by the Prudential Insurance Company as an Insurance Agent.

William married Olive Jessie on 4th December 1913 at Brentford in Middlesex. They made their home in Uttoxeter at 55 Cheadle Road and had two children: William Henry (born in Uttoxeter on the 23rd June 1914) and Elsie Irene (born in Uttoxeter on the 15th September 1915).

Fortunately, William’s Pension Records survived the incendiary bombs of the blitz on London during the second world war and they give an insight into his time in the army.

William enlisted and expressed a willingness to serve (if required) at Burton-on-Trent on 7th June 1916. He was 30 years and 1 month old and gave his occupation as ‘Insurance Agent’.

He was called-up and his service commenced on 26th July 1916, less than three weeks after the devastating losses on the first day of the Somme battle. He signed-up for the duration of the war.

Using his Pension Records, we have constructed his Service Record as follows:

7th June 1916	Attested - Rank Private To Army Reserve
26th July 1916	Mobilised
29th July 1916	Posted to 3rd/6th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment
1st Sept 1916	Transferred from 3rd/6th North Staffordshire Regiment to the 3rd/5th Battalion
13th Nov 1916	Two days confined to Barracks for being late on parade 1:45 p.m.
18th Nov 1916	Transferred to 1st/5th Battalion Embarked at Folkestone Disembarked at Boulogne New number allotted: 20001
7th Dec 1916	Joined Unit ‘D’ Company in the Field
14th Mar 1917	Wounded in Action – Shoulder, Leg R & Face
20th Mar 1917	Died of Wounds in no 20 Casualty Clearing Station

William received wounds to his shoulder, right leg and face on the 14th March 1917. He was evacuated to no 20 Casualty Clearing Station and died there on 20th March 1917.

The Uttoxeter Advertiser’s roll of honour says he died at Bucquoy and quoted an extract from a letter that the sister-in-charge of the Casualty Clearing Station wrote to his wife on 22nd March 1917. In it, she said:

"Your husband was admitted to us on the 14th with gunshot wounds in the hand, leg and face. His wounds were very serious ones, and he was operated on. He seemed to do fairly well until the 16th, when this improvement did not continue, and he gradually became weaker and died at 6 p.m. on the 20th. Please accept our sincere sympathy with you in your loss.”

The same article also reported that his wife had received a letter of sympathy from the Chaplain.

William is buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty.

Photos: Commonwealth War Graves Commision

For the purpose of William’s pension for his wife and children, he was credited with 117 days’ Home service (British mainland) and 123 days abroad, making a total of 240 days.

On 22nd August 1917 Olive was sent William’s personal effects: Letters, photos, postcards, 1 coin. Olive acknowledged receipt, but added the note, “No Pay Book, safety-razor or cigarette case” at the foot of the slip. The following reply was sent on 29th August 1917:

Madam,

In reply to the foot-note on the receipt for effects returned to this Office on August 23rd, I have to inform you that the deceased soldier’s pay book, if found, would be sent to the Regimental Paymaster, Lichfield, to whom all communications on the subject should be addressed.

With reference to your inquiries re a safety-razor and cigarette case, I have to tell you that all the articles received in this Office have been forwarded to you.

Yours faithfully,

On 22nd September 1917 the Ministry of Pensions awarded Olive and the children a pension of 22/11d per week. This would be effective from the 24th September 1917.

William was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his military service.

On 28th May 1919 Olive completed the form that listed all of William’s surviving close family members. This shows that neither of his parents were alive and she was now living at 63 Cheadle Road, Uttoxeter (the same address as William’s brother Ernest). Ernest’s sister Elizabeth Shenton was also listed as alive.

In January 1920 William’s memorial scroll and plaque were sent to his wife Olive.

In Loving Memory of Pte. William Henry Blackshaw, of Uttoxeter, 5th North Staffs. Regt., who died of wounds received in action in France on March 20, 1917.

What pain he bore we do not know –

We did not see him die;

But this we know, that he is gone,

And never said good-bye.

Had we but seen him in life,

Watched by his dying bed,

Caught the last flickering of his breath,

Or touched his dying head,

We think our hearts would not have felt

Such bitterness of grief,

But God had ruled it otherwise,

And now he rests in peace.

-Ever remembered by his loving Wife and Children.

This heartrending notice was posted in the Uttoxeter Advertiser at the end of March 1918 to mark the first anniversary of his death.

In Loving Memory of Pte. William Henry Blackshaw, 1st-5th North Staffs. Regiment, who died of wounds received in action in France, March 20, 1917.

Two years have passed since that sad day,

When the one we loved was called away:

A bitter grief, a shock severe,

To part with one we loved so dear.

We little thought when he left home

That he would no more return,

That he so soon in death would sleep,

And leave us here to mourn.

My sorrow is great, my loss hard to bear,

Angels will tend you, dear husband, with care;

Your loving smile, your loving face –

No one on earth can fill your place.

- Ever remembered by his loving Wife and Children and Brother.

This was posted in the Uttoxeter Advertiser in March 1919 to mark the second anniversary of his death. His family’s grief is still very apparent.