John C Blakey

[Competajohn]

Hi, This forum was brilliant recently in giving me information on a relative and so I'm hoping someone may be able to help me out again. I am trying to find out information on a John C Blakey who was billited during WWI in Sandy, Bedfordshire so am assuming he was in the Bedfordshire regiment but I don't have anymore information than that. I know he was gassed during the war and I know he survived and married in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire in 1921 before moving to Yorkshire. I know there is not much to go on but if anyone can help that would be amazing.

John.

[SteveE]

John

There are MICs for two John C Blakeys available on the National Archives site or on Ancestry.

#1 shows service as 39806 Northamptonshire Regiment and 519589 Royal Engineers (number allocated to Hampshire Fortress Company on Territorial Force renumbering in 1917).

#2 shows service as 1527 and later 484158 Royal Engineers (number allocated to Northern Signal Company on Territorial Force renumbering in 1917).

The MIC for #2 is interesting as it puts the man in question in a Signals Company. The Royal Engineers' Signal Service Training Centre H.Q. was moved to Bedford in October 1917 with a number of Depots being established there and there were also further Depots established at Biggleswade, Haynes Park and Hitchin. I'm not sure how it worked but I guess it was quite possible for a man at one of these Depots to be billeted at Sandy (it is after all only a couple of miles from Biggleswade).

Another possible link is the Yorkshire connection, do you know if he originated from there originally? Northern Signals Company was, I believe, a Yorkshire based R.E. Company so it could be possible that he enlisted with his local unit before moving 'down south'.

Obviously none of this makes it definitely your man but it could be worth following up.

Regards

Steve

[ralphjd]

Married Fanny Cooper Sept qtr 1921 who is possibly Fanny born 13-5-1901 died Leeds 1973, and a John C Blakey born 1889 died registered Dewsbury 1944. Ralph.

[Competajohn]

John

There are MICs for two John C Blakeys available on the National Archives site or on Ancestry.

#1 shows service as 39806 Northamptonshire Regiment and 519589 Royal Engineers (number allocated to Hampshire Fortress Company on Territorial Force renumbering in 1917).

#2 shows service as 1527 and later 484158 Royal Engineers (number allocated to Northern Signal Company on Territorial Force renumbering in 1917).

The MIC for #2 is interesting as it puts the man in question in a Signals Company. The Royal Engineers' Signal Service Training Centre H.Q. was moved to Bedford in October 1917 with a number of Depots being established there and there were also further Depots established at Biggleswade, Haynes Park and Hitchin. I'm not sure how it worked but I guess it was quite possible for a man at one of these Depots to be billeted at Sandy (it is after all only a couple of miles from Biggleswade).

Another possible link is the Yorkshire connection, do you know if he originated from there originally? Northern Signals Company was, I believe, a Yorkshire based R.E. Company so it could be possible that he enlisted with his local unit before moving 'down south'.

Obviously none of this makes it definitely your man but it could be worth following up.

Regards

Steve

Thanks Steve - at the moment we don't know anymore about him but are investigating through family members and are awaiting copy of a marriage certificate. Your information has been very useful and I'll let you know how we get on. Many thanks, John

Married Fanny Cooper Sept qtr 1921 who is possibly Fanny born 13-5-1901 died Leeds 1973, and a John C Blakey born 1889 died registered Dewsbury 1944. Ralph.

Hi Ralph,

Many thanks for this. I had the marriage but not the birth or death for John C Blakey so that will be a great help. Cheers, John.

[Competajohn]

Thanks Steve - at the moment we don't know anymore about him but are investigating through family members and are awaiting copy of a marriage certificate. Your information has been very useful and I'll let you know how we get on. Many thanks, John

Hi Ralph,

Many thanks for this. I had the marriage but not the birth or death for John C Blakey so that will be a great help. Cheers, John.

Hi again,

Thanks to your help I've found our man on the 1901 census. Having spoken to my sister in law, whose relative John Blakey is, it all seems to matches what she knows of him. Once again, many thanks, John.

[steve fuller]

Also John, bear in mind that there were several different regiments billeted in and around Sandy during the war so do not discount any options you come across just yet!

I am unable to offer anything specific on a John Blakey Im afraid but if you ID who he was etc, give me a yell as I have the Biggleswade papers but have yet to index them. In the interim, there is a recently published book called Biggleswade and the Great War by Kenneth Wood which may or may not have a mention of him in it, assuming he was from the town before / during the war that is.

Best of luck!