Pte
Albert Walter Blatchly
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1898 |
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Place of birth: Woodcroft, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Draper's Assistant |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 27933 |
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Enlistment date: 20/11/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Grenadier Guards, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Suez Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Cemetery
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Artillery Wood Cemetery Plot: XI Row: E Grave: 8 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 28/01/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 28/01/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Albert Walter Blatchly was born around 1898 in Woodcroft, Gloucestershire. Before the war he worked as a Draper’s Apprentice and was employed by Baker & Manhire, Drapers in Newport, Wales. Albert enlisted in Newport on 20 November 1916 and served with the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, part of the 2nd Grenadier Brigade, of the Guards Division, in France and Flanders from 10 June 1917.
On 9 October 1917, the Guards Division took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage of the Battle of Passchendaele. At 5.20 a.m., zero hour, the Division advanced towards the Houthulst Forrest, with two Brigades. Of the 2nd Guards brigade, the 2nd Irish guards, on the right, and the 1st Scots guards, on the left, were the first to advance. The 3rd grenadiers were in support and were to advance to the third and last objective. By 9 a.m. the first two objectives had been taken and the Grenadier Guards took up the attack. At 11.20 a.m. they reported that the Battalion had gained the 3rd objective, though the Germans were still in control of a strongpoint near the line. This fortified position eventually fell and the 3rd Grenadier Guards dug in near Suez Farm. Several German counterattacks were repelled during the afternoon and all gains were consolidated.
Private Albert Walter Blatchly was killed in action on 9 October 1917. He was possibly mortally wounded during the attack on Suez Farm. Albert was eventually buried in Captain’s Farm Cemetery. After the war all the men buried here were reinterred in Artillery Wood Cemetery.
On 9 October 1917, the Guards Division took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage of the Battle of Passchendaele. At 5.20 a.m., zero hour, the Division advanced towards the Houthulst Forrest, with two Brigades. Of the 2nd Guards brigade, the 2nd Irish guards, on the right, and the 1st Scots guards, on the left, were the first to advance. The 3rd grenadiers were in support and were to advance to the third and last objective. By 9 a.m. the first two objectives had been taken and the Grenadier Guards took up the attack. At 11.20 a.m. they reported that the Battalion had gained the 3rd objective, though the Germans were still in control of a strongpoint near the line. This fortified position eventually fell and the 3rd Grenadier Guards dug in near Suez Farm. Several German counterattacks were repelled during the afternoon and all gains were consolidated.
Private Albert Walter Blatchly was killed in action on 9 October 1917. He was possibly mortally wounded during the attack on Suez Farm. Albert was eventually buried in Captain’s Farm Cemetery. After the war all the men buried here were reinterred in Artillery Wood Cemetery.
Sources 7
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 126-127. Sources used |
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"The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1919", Ponsonby F., Londen, MacMillan and Co., 1920, pg. 253-257. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/100756/blatchly,-albert-walter/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary 2nd Guards Bde. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
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War Diary Grenadier Guards, 3rd Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |