Blencowe Betsey Margaret 1908

Betsey Margaret Blencowe [6808]

1908-1982

Father Nm: William Edward Walley Blencowe 1878-1914. Devizes, Wiltshire

Mother Nm: Mabel M nee Hopkins 1879-1958. Devizes, Wiltshire

Marriage Dt: Jan 1941 • Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

K comments: Husband Bernard Richard Riddett was killed in 1942 while with the RAF.  Father William E Walley Blencowe was killed in action in Flanders 1914. Brother Patrick served with the RAF in WW2, Brother Ronald  also served in the Red Cross in WW2. Brother-in-law Bernard Richard Riddett was killed in 1942 while with the RAF. Cousins Eric Blencowe Wales and Denys Herbert Wales were both Flying Officers with the RAF.

Spouse comments: Bernard Richard Riddett 1913–1942. BIRTH 1 DEC 1913 • Isle of Wight, Hampshire. DEATH 19 AUG 1942 • Wiltshire, Wilts, England

(Research): Ancestry

Oldest Known Ancestor: Thomas Blencowe 1475 Marston St Lawrence.

Children:

Birth

12 SEP 1908 • Idmiston, Wiltshire, England

Before the War
1939 Census

Living widowed mother.
Address: 99 Roman Rd., Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Occupation: Teacher of Dancing

Mabel M Blencowe
Betsy M Blencowe
Ronald R S Blencowe

The family lived in this house in 1939
WW2

Red Cross

Blencowe Betsey Margaret, Red Cross

Synopsis
Betsey Margaret Blencowe was just 6 yrs old when her father Billy Blencowe was killed in action at Hooge in Belgium in 1914. Mother Mabel Blencowe was left with five young children Betsey the oldest then Ronald 5 Patrick 3 Elizabeth 2 and baby Harry , Baby Harry died age 1 and Elizabeth we cannot trace and may well have been adopted when Mabel in 1915 was in such distress. But despite these events Mabel raised the three elder children in Salisbury Wiltshire on her own.
However more family tragedy was to come and this time to Betsey.
In 1941 Betsey a dance instructor had met and married Bernard Riddett an RAF Pilot in training. In August 1942 Bernard was second pilot on a operational training flight in a Whitely Bomber when they met flak and the aircraft was damaged, then hit a ship as it went down in the sea off the British coast. All the crew were killed. Having lost a father in WW1 and husband in WW2 Betsey could have withdrawn and cursed her luck, but she decided to train as a Red Cross nurse and served out WW2 in that role. Betsey didnt re-marry and lived in Salisbury until she died age 74 in 1982
1940-45

Note : Dates of Betsey’s service in the Red Cross may have been after 1942 when she became a war widow. Her husband Bernard was on a flight on 19 August 1942 from RAF Cranwell that crashed .

Detail: A Coastal OTU loss from RAF Cranwell. 19/08/42 No.3 OTU Whitley V BD233 Coded U Casualties: Sgt S J Collett Sgt B R Riddett Training, RAF Cranwell Crashed in sea on navex near Holy Island, Northumberland. Port engine caught fire. Approached Low Newton from the sea. It then turned north towards Beadnell beach, passing low over Links House, crashing just south of Long Nanny burn. As it careered over the dunes and sand it cut a pathway through the rough ground, totally breaking up in the process. Possibly flew too close and struck friendly ships.  RAF Commands website

Medals
Red Cross medal
Sources
  1. Forces War Records
  2. Ancestry Military Tree of Blencowes ww2
Gallery