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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Early tank commander - Arthur Blowers


delta

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Found another photo of a C Company tank

Martin - given the background, could it be Corunna near her Combles resting place

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Martin

Ignore that - Purdy's tank was (of course) female

Has anyone seen the photo before, and if so, any idea which one it is?

Stephen

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I shall pencil in 15th sept in my diary as a possible date for a visit.

Please let me know if anyone makes any firm plans.

Stephen, you may be interested to know that my father was an excellent shot and was 'volunteered' as a sniper, for a very short time I think(maybe only once).

He said he was fitted with a T-shaped iron head-protector and told to try to take-out an enemy sniper who was making a nuisance of himself.

After taking position, he peered down the scope and found he was, apparently, looking straight down the barrel of his target's rifle :o

He got off a quick shot, which was immediately followed by a loud Clang as a bullet hit his head-guard, temporarily dazing him.

He never knew if he'd hit his target, but the sniping from that area did cease, for a while.

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Hi Roger,

This is a fantastic thread.

I nearly bought the miniatures and paperwork on two previous occasions for my own colletion; once on eBay and once in a local auction here in Ipswich but was outbid both times.

My interest is in his Suffolk Regiment service. If he travelled to France with 1/4th Suffolk on 9th November 1914 he must have been a pre-War Territorial. Do you know anything more about his time with the Suffolks?

With best wishes,

Taff

Taff Gillingham

The Suffolk Regiment Museum

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Sorry, Taff, only what I wrote in replies #14 & #55.

If anything else 'surfaces', I'll let you know.

Sorry you missed-out on the miniatures.. it would have been re-assuring to hear they were with a genuine collector.

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Hi Roger,

Thank you for your swift reply.

I will have a rummage in my own archive; I may well have something on Arthur already.

Needless to say, if I had bought the miniatures I would have let you have them back!

Thanks again.

With best wishes,

Taff

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Hello,

Hope you don't mind me replying, but I was very interested in your story about your father being a temporary unpaid sniper. I've come across accounts of locally manufactured sniper plates being issued to men early in the war, but this is the first actual confirmation I've found of one in use. I assume he was in the Suffolks at the time, do you have any idea of the date [roughly]. I'm in the middle of writing a book on sniping in the great War, and it would be very useful to include this.

many thanks

Marin Pegler.

I shall pencil in 15th sept in my diary as a possible date for a visit.

Please let me know if anyone makes any firm plans.

Stephen, you may be interested to know that my father was an excellent shot and was 'volunteered' as a sniper, for a very short time I think(maybe only once).

He said he was fitted with a T-shaped iron head-protector and told to try to take-out an enemy sniper who was making a nuisance of himself.

After taking position, he peered down the scope and found he was, apparently, looking straight down the barrel of his target's rifle :o

He got off a quick shot, which was immediately followed by a loud Clang as a bullet hit his head-guard, temporarily dazing him.

He never knew if he'd hit his target, but the sniping from that area did cease, for a while.

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Hello,

Hope you don't mind me replying, but I was very interested in your story about your father being a temporary unpaid sniper. I've come across accounts of locally manufactured sniper plates being issued to men early in the war, but this is the first actual confirmation I've found of one in use. I assume he was in the Suffolks at the time, do you have any idea of the date [roughly]. I'm in the middle of writing a book on sniping in the great War, and it would be very useful to include this.

many thanks

Martin Pegler.

Sorry, Martin, I don't have any more than I have put in replies #14 & #55 above... no dates.

I'd like to know more about what he did before, and even more so, after, that first tank action... I don't recall his saying more than I've put in this thread already.

Roger

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I've started to work through using the photo at post 18 as a guide

Sorry to report that I hav ebeen unable to find the "wanted" page :(

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Thanks for trying, anyway, Stephen.

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I went to the NA today and photographed the service file of Arthur Herbert Blowers, Suffolk Regiment and Tank Corps....

Anybody know anyone that would want a copy?

Steve.

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I would, of course, please!

Thanks for your efforts

Roger

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I shall try and sort them out at the first opportunity (May be the weekend though). Can you send me your e-mails via the Forum?

The folder is 64 MB at the moment. I shall try and reduce the images...!

Steve.

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Have just emailed you my 'private' email address

Many thanks

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This is a really cool thread. I've read it all. Keep it coming.

Loved the little stories / facts that can only be given by a close relative who has spoke to the man!

Welcome to the forum as well my friend.

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I went to the NA today and photographed the service file of Arthur Herbert Blowers, Suffolk Regiment and Tank Corps....

Anybody know anyone that would want a copy?

Steve.

Yes please; I send you an e-mail off-net (don't want to splash my address it all over the place)

You , sir, are the master :)

Stephen

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Could never have predicted those three requests. :lol:

I will need to trim, spin and reduce the images down a bit to get a less weighty file size. I hope to have enough time over tonight and tomorrow morning. Some interesting stuff in there by the looks of things - all his 1/4th Suffolk Regiment OR doings (attestation, postings, promotions, the loss of the end of his finger in an rifle shot accident (bet he sweated over that one for a bit)), then his commission, and promotions in the HBMGC and Tank Corps, including his wounding and Medical Boards, and his handwritten Will, and finally his death notice in 1980.

(Just building the anticipation.... ;) )

Steve.

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(Just building the anticipation.... ;)

You are, and extremly well! :D

I am straining at the leash already

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One slot free. Be quick!

Steve.

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Thanks so much for doing all this Stephen... it is really fascinating and I discovered quite a bit I hadn't known.

I'm sure my siblings will be interested, too.

I knew, of course, that he'd lost a bit of one finger, but not that there had been an investigation which found that it was an accidental gunshot wound and not an attempt to get a Blighty :)

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