Noel Thomas Blencowe
1923-2014
Father Nm: Richard Allan Blencowe 1890- 1954 Petersburg, Frome, South Australia
Mother Nm: Dorothy Mabel Ward 1893–1963. BIRTH 10 FEB 1893 • Leicester, Leicestershire, England. DEATH 18 OCT 1963 • Rockdale, New South Wales, Australia
Marriage Dt:
K comments: Father Richard Allan served in WW1 and was wounded in action.
WW2: Twin Brother Maurice George served with the Australian Army and died of wounds 2 Oct. 1943 in New Guinea. Brother Allan Roy served with the Australian Army, Brothers Harold and Bruce served with the RAAF.
Spouse comments: Jean Fulton
(Research): Ancestry
Oldest Known Ancestor: John Blencowe 1798–1887. BIRTH 16 DEC 1798 • Brackley, Northamptonshire, England.DEATH 4 JUN 1887 • Riverton, South Australia, Australia. Note: John Blencowe and Mary Drinkwater and family arrived in Australia from Brackley, Northamptonshire in 1832
Children: Christine and Robert
Birth
25 DEC 1923 • Leeton, New South Wales, Australia
Before the War
WW2
Blencowe Noel Thomas, Driver, Lance Corporal, NX140036 & N239580, 2/28 Transport Platoon, 2/29 Transport Platoon, 2nd 105th Army Transport Division.
Note: Noel has two numbers one beginning NX is his AIF WW2 number the N number is a Militia number. Noel was a Militia soldier first and before that judging by the Photograph of him circa 1941 in Naval uniform he was first with a Naval Cadet force in Leeton area.
1942
- 28 March. Joined the Citizens Militia. Regimental number is N239580. Occupation on enlisting was Electro-plater.
- 31 March. Transferred to Australian Army Services Corps Training Department in Sydney.
- 11 April. transferred to 5 Ordnance Ammunition Coy. Transportation of live Ammunition etc.
- 11 July. Transferred to H A 2 Australian Corps. at Goulburn.
- August . Transferred to the 131st Transport Company
- 25 September. Enlisted at Murrumba, Qld. as a Driver and posted to 131st Transport Coy.
- 10 October. Transferred to the 1st Australian Army and joins the 2nd 105th AGT Coy. in Brisbane
Note: At this 2nd 2nd 105th AGT Coy was in fact in Syria/Lebanon after a long campaign in the Middle East/North Africa. It had been decided to transport the 2nd 105th Coy to Singapore to shore up defence of that Island. On 13 Oct 1941 the Liner Orcades left Adelaide bound to pick up the 2nd 105th in the Middle East. On the 29th January the Orcades picked up the 2nd 105th Coy and there upon a disastrous outcome befell the Coy. This link provides the history of what happened to the 2nd 105th but suffice it to say very few of the them survived and in this case Noel was very lucky to have not joined his unit overseas.
For the lucky few that weren’t PoW’s, however, they returned to Australia and eventually formed the 2nd/27th Transport Platoon which was part of the newly formed 2nd/105th Australian General Transport Company. To reflect the original unit’s composition the 2nd/105th AGT Coy was mainly recruited from Victoria. The 2nd/105th AGT Coy stayed in Queensland for most the war, however, in its closing stages was sent to Morotai, Borneo.
At the end of the war the unit was returned to Australia and eventually disbanded with all the men discharged. Those who were PoW’s were sailed back to Australia before they themselves were discharged.
1943
- 31 January. Noel is given a new Regimental No. NX 140036
- 17 -19 April. Noel embarked from Townsville via SS Katoomba to Port Moresby as part of the 8MD (8th Military District of the Army). This a general movement of Australian Forces because of the threat in the north of Japanese attack. Note: The 8th Military District was an administrative district of the Australian Army. During the Second World War, the 8th Military District covered the Territory of New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides, with its headquarters firstly at Rabaul and later at Port Moresby.
1944
- 7-10 April. After a year in PNG Noel is returned to Queensland , transported on the SS taroona he arrives in Bowen Qld on 10th.
- 6 June. Transferred to the 2/29th Australian General Transport Platoon.
1945
- 21 May. Embarked with 2/29th Transport Platoon from Townsville for Morotai on SS Swartenhundt.
- 18 August. Transferred to 2/28th Transport Platoon
- 25 September. Embarked with 2/28th Transport Platoon on HMAS Westralia to join ‘Amforce’ in Ambon..
- 3 October -17 December. Sick with Pulmonary illness Noel is evacuated to 2/10th Field Ambulance at Ambon. The field Ambulance is likely to only have tented operations much like these shown when they were on PNG.
Note: A large Japanese POW camp existed at Ambon and the primary reason for the 2/10th Field Ambulance was to look after these POW’s and local population.
- After his illness Noel is posted ready for return to Brisbane.
1946
- 4-10 January. Embarks for Brisbane and lands 10th Jan.
- 8 March.Posted to 2/110 Australian General Transport Coy.
- 25 March. Posted to War Graves Maintenance Unit
- 2 June. Posted to depot for discharge
- 12 June 1946. Discharged from the Army
Medals
Noel was awarded these medals for his service.
After the War
1948 Onwards
Noel ran a Silver plating service after the war in Leeton. This from Murrumbidgee Irrigator, Friday 9 July 1948. Housewives, car- owners and others will be pleased to learn that they can have silver plating done in Leeton. Mr. N. T. Blencowe, silver-plater, has opened this new business at No. 4 Pine Avenue, alongside the Poultry Farmers’ Depot. He will undertake all classes of re-plating, such as head light reflectors, household cutlery, ornaments, etc.,
From Niece Anne Burton;
What he did in life. I recall him working with the Stock and Station Company New Zealand Loan. However, in later years Noel was a Public Servant with the Water Resources Commission of NSW. He was an Inspector for them, inspecting Crown Lands, Rice Crops, and Surveying etc. I’m pretty sure he was also a draftsman with the W.R.C.
After he retired he became involved with the Leeton Soldiers Club. He had a bus licence so ferried returned soldiers to events around the Riverina.
Death 2014
11 March 2014 at Nowra , NSW.
Obituary Noel Thomas Blencowe
25/12/1923 – 11/3/2014
Noel Thomas Blencowe was the last surviving son of Richard Allan Blencowe and Dorothy Mabel Ward. Noel and twin Maurice were born in Leeton, NSW. After serving in WW2, Noel returned to Leeton and married Jean Fulton in 1947. He remained in Leeton after Jean died in 1978 moving to Nowra in his final years. Noel was predeceased by brothers Harold, Roy, Maurice and Bruce and survived by daughter Christine, son Robert, 7 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Sources
Niece Anne (Blencowe) Burton has been a key source of family history. Anne is the editor of the Blencowes Families Association and a leader in the organisation of the Blencowes family history and its preservation, Anne someone who I have depended on for many years as my strongest supporter for the WW1 and WW2 Blencowe projects. My personal thanks for the information provided for this page and the pages of the descendants of Richard Allan Blencowe.
- National Archives Australia Service Records
- Ancestry Military Tree of Blencowes ww2
Gallery
History of the 2nd/105th Australian General Transport Company.
The 2nd/105th AGT had its roots planted in the 1st Australian Corps Petrol Park which was formed at Puckapunyal, Victoria in early 1940 to provide transport for the 7th Division. The 1st Australian Corps Petrol Park (1 ACPP) contained a Headquarters Section and two Sub Parks called No. 1 and No. 2. Sub Park with each having their own workshops section attached. Sub Park No. 2 would be the forbearer of both 105th Australian General Transport Company and then later the 2nd/105th Australian General Transport Company.
The 1st Australian Corps Petrol Park embarked in late December 1940 and sailed to Egypt. Here, No. 2 Sub Park served in the North African campaign taking supplies forward. On their return trip they would often carry Italian PoW’s or wounded soldiers. When the Greece campaign started the unit was moved overseas to add to its defence. In the defeat of Greece, however, the unit lost or had to leave behind most of it equipment before some elements were withdrawn to Crete and others back to Egypt. The few elements in Crete were later mostly captured.
Thus, No. 2 Sub Park was reformed back in Egypt and continued to operate there for a little while. It was then sent to Syria in aid of the Syrian campaign and was stationed at Nahoriyah in Palestine and then to Hadett in Lebanon.
In the final days of 1941 the 1st Australian Corps Petrol Park was disbanded and No. 1 and No. 2 Sub Parks were reorganised and renamed. No.1 Sub Park became the 2nd/106th Australian General Transport Company, while No. 2 Sub Park became the 105th Australian General Transport Company.
The 105th AGT Coy embarked on Orcades which departed on the 29th January 1942. The Orcades was a doomed vessel, however, as it chosen to defend the Island of Java after the Fall of Singapore. Onboard was the 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion (/explore/units/367), the 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion (/explore/units/603), the 105th AGT Coy and several other small units. These were reorganised into three battalions which fell under the command of Blackforce (/explore/units/369)commander Brigadier A S Blackburn (/explore/people/930).
With very little equipment and few supplies when the Japanese invaded Java, Blackforce was left with no choice but to eventually surrender. Thus, the 105th Australian General Transport Company saw out the rest of the War in PoW camps throughout Japanese controlled Asia.
For the lucky few that weren’t PoW’s, however, they returned to Australia and eventually formed the 2nd/27th Transport Platoon which was part of the newly formed 2nd/105th Australian General Transport Company. To reflect the original unit’s composition the 2nd/105th AGT Coy was mainly recruited from Victoria. The 2nd/105th AGT Coy stayed in Queensland for most the war, however, in its closing stages was sent to Morotai, Borneo.
At the end of the war the unit was returned to Australia and eventually disbanded with all the men discharged. Those who were PoW’s were sailed back to Australia before they themselves were discharged.
As the unit was raised in Victoria the personal who formed the 2nd/105th AGT Coy were mainly Victorian, however, the unit was reinforced by several Queenslander’s, South Australian’s, West Australian’s and New South Welshmen.
Gallery