ianw Posted 24 January , 2007 Share Posted 24 January , 2007 Yes, Roger. The papers were the prize here. fascinating documents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 24 January , 2007 Share Posted 24 January , 2007 Talking of papers, if he has a Service file at the National Archives, it may be this one: WO 339/59889 BLOWERS A [1914-1922] Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 24 January , 2007 Share Posted 24 January , 2007 Steve - I will take a look at it when I am next there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 24 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 24 January , 2007 Trevor Pidgeon states that Dolphin was D5 and his reserach is normlly extremly throrough. The letters to Liddell hart are almost cerainyl in the King College London archive; it is from this that Trvor took his infromation. Trevor tells the tale of your father's action (amongst others) in his talks - if you can get to see him, he is well worth listening to - he would also be interested in meeting you. You say that the medals have been spilt up; at least they are still in the family which is unusual. I did bid for your father's miniatures but the final bid was above my limit (but that is not unusual...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerb40uk Posted 30 January , 2007 Share Posted 30 January , 2007 I have spoken to Trevor on the telephone and had an interesting chat. I have also spoken to other family members today (mainly to inform them about the birth of our first granddaughter!) and my eldest sister recalls my mother's having the front page of the Daily Mirror which had a very large photo of Lt Arthur Blowers. Any advice on how I might go about trying to find a copy of that, please? Incidentally my brothers all agreed that the medals should be 're-united' and either kept in the family or donated to the Tank Museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOMMESOLDIER Posted 30 January , 2007 Share Posted 30 January , 2007 Hi Roger, A very interesting thread. Just a point to be taken into account when your family decide what to do with the medals. If you decide on the second option, loan them to the Tank Museum, don't donate them as they are then the property of the Museum and they can do with them as they wish. There have been many cases where families have been shocked to find donated medals being sold on the open market !! I accept that your fathers are important medals and so unlikely to suffer this fate but you never know ?? Cheers Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 30 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 30 January , 2007 I woud guess between late September and early December You will know the London Gazette reference better than I: http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...PageDuplicate=n &issueNumber=29824&pageNumber=0&SearchFor= Blowers&selMedalType=&selHonourType= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 30 January , 2007 Share Posted 30 January , 2007 Hmmm.. Wouldn't know Arthur from Adam of course, but perhaps 15-11-1916, 21-11-1916 or 11-1-1917. Otherwise, the British Library Newsaper Archive at Colindale should have a pretty much complete run (as will the publishers I would imagine...) Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 30 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 30 January , 2007 I've started to work through using the photo at post 18 as a guide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerb40uk Posted 30 January , 2007 Share Posted 30 January , 2007 I am full of admiration ..... you guys are like a dog with a bone Thanks for looking, whatever the outcome. The photo in #18 is a reasonable likeness, according to other pics I have seen from that period. He made a very good headmaster, with that scary look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 31 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 31 January , 2007 Haven't found him yet but did find some phots I had not seen before; will be ordering a copy - looks like "Champagne" in the top and left hand picture - not sure about the bottom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shagpile Posted 6 February , 2007 Share Posted 6 February , 2007 Dear Roger, I thought you might like to know that I have the medals of Leslie Gutsell, who was your father's gunner, and who was killed on 15th September 1916. Oddly enough, we now live less than a Km away from where the tank was knocked out ! I'd be interested to know if you have any additional information regarding the action ? all the best MArtin Hello I have just found this forum. I am Arthur Blowers' youngest son and would very much like to get his miniatures back into the family. (My eldest brother has the original medals) I have tried to contact the ebay purchaser mentioned in the link, but I think my message has been blocked by ebay. Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks Roger Blowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerb40uk Posted 6 February , 2007 Share Posted 6 February , 2007 Dear Roger, I thought you might like to know that I have the medals of Leslie Gutsell, who was your father's gunner, and who was killed on 15th September 1916. Oddly enough, we now live less than a Km away from where the tank was knocked out ! I'd be interested to know if you have any additional information regarding the action ? all the best MArtin Hello Martin I'm sorry, I don't have any more than I have already posted in this thread. I presume you have read Trevor Pidgeon's book ? I hope to get to the area before I am too decrepit... wish I was lucky enough to have Trevor, or someone nearly as knowledgeable, as a guide! Kind regards Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 6 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 6 February , 2007 BTW I have downloaded his MIC, which I didn't previously know anything about... it doesn't mention his MC... do they only record campaign medals? Justin It is not unknown for the MC to be on a seperate card. Amazing that Martin is less than a Km from where D5 was knocked out; must live in Flers then! Perhaps we can all meet up and walk the ground sometime Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 6 February , 2007 Share Posted 6 February , 2007 Perhaps we can all meet up and walk the ground sometime I'd be up for that walk! A proposal anyone? Ken (in the process of reading Tanks at Flers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerb40uk Posted 6 February , 2007 Share Posted 6 February , 2007 Yes, preferably before the knees really give out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 7 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2007 I suppose the best time to do it would be in September; the 15th does just happen to a Saturday this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 7 February , 2007 Share Posted 7 February , 2007 I did a High Wood walk on 15th September last year and can certainly recommend it. We were hugely lucky to have Trevor Pidgeon with us and got access to High Wood itself. A great day. I don't know if Trevor will be going this year. But the prospect of going with a close relative of a tank commander might be enticing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 7 February , 2007 Share Posted 7 February , 2007 I wonder if Bovington have a loan scheme.... Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 7 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2007 what? take "Clan Leslie" out to Flers ? If anything , it should have gone last September but the celebrations of the first deployemnt of tanks were muted to say the least. I suppose they are keeping their powder dry for Cambrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 7 February , 2007 Share Posted 7 February , 2007 Don't know about muted Steve. They closed the road south of High Wood for a ceremony that was pretty well attended by tank folk and London Division people. And of course, that great tank historian Trevor pidgeon was there. A big do in my opinion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 7 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2007 Ian I am clearly mistaken Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shagpile Posted 7 February , 2007 Share Posted 7 February , 2007 Stephen, This is all fascinaitng stuff ! We actually live in Combles, just on the ridge overlooking the Flers plain and in the shadow of Leuze and Bouleaux Woods. The Flers battlefield is about 3km by a rather indirect road. Actually the field behind us is still marked on modern maps as Le Plaine du Tank as a result of the wrecks left after the September attacks on the wood. I don't know if anyone is interested, but I rode as gearsman in the MkIV that was used for filming at Bovington many years ago, for the Soldier TV series. I'm still deaf as a result and having therapy... I 'm certainly going to put a cross on the site of D5's demise this September, which reminds me, if D5 was left in situ for years after the war, surely there must be some photos of it ? If anyone wants more info they are wlcome to look us up on www.martinpegler.com Martin Justin It is not unknown for the MC to be on a seperate card. Amazing that Martin is less than a Km from where D5 was knocked out; must live in Flers then! Perhaps we can all meet up and walk the ground sometime Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianB Posted 7 February , 2007 Share Posted 7 February , 2007 Well I walked around Flers last year trying to work out where my grandfather won his MC. Apparently for helping beat back a counter attack on 15th Sept 1916 . He was with 123 MGC. Most research on Flers eems to have been done by tankies, v little otherwise. although I've read a lot about the battle - and documents at Kew - I'm still uncertain where grandfather was !! Maybe a walk with experts would help ! Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 7 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2007 Martin Combles eh? well then, you would possibly ben inetersted in this thread: As for D5, igetting one of the wreck would be a real bonus; i is one of the tank photos for which I am searching. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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