Private. 21st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) Regimental number 18/645.
Early family life:
Walter’s parents were Charles Henry Blenkarn and Ann Mary Blenkarn née Pullan. They were married on the 19th of August 1882 at Keighley Parish Church (probably St. Peter’s.) Charles was a bachelor aged 21 and a clogger living at King Street, Ann Mary was a 19 year old spinster living at Chandos Street.
Walter was born on the 3rd of October 1883 when they were living at Chandos Street and he was baptised several weeks later at St. Peter’s Church on the 19th of November.
His brother Squire Mitchell Blenkarn was born on the 23rd July of 1886 and baptised at St. Peter’s Church on the 22nd of June.
The family suffered several child deaths. Mary Emma was born on the 11th of September 1889, baptised at St. Peter’s Church on 27th of March 1890 and sadly died that summer. Arthur was born on the 15th of March, 1891 and baptised at St. Peter’s Church and died not long afterwards.
In the 1891 census, Charles and Ann were aged 28 and 26 respectively. Charles was a clogger and they were living at 30, King Street with their sons Squire aged four and Arthur aged three. Walter aged seven was not with them on the night of the census as he was with his maternal grandmother Emma Pullan at 5, Clarendon Street.
On the 26th of February 1893 they had another child called Edgar who was baptised on the 18th of April that year and they were still living at King Street at the time.
Charles and Ann had another child, Percy Naylor Blenkarn, he was born on 17th of April 1894 and he was baptised on the 16th of May 1894 at St. Peter’s Church. At the end of 1894 the family suffered a double tragedy when baby Edgar and their mother Ann both died. Edgar was aged just one and Ann was aged 30.
Several years later in the 1901 census, we find Charles married to Ellen. We could not find a marriage record for them. They are both aged 39 and Charles is employed as a general labourer and seems to have given up working as a clogger. They are living at 57, Burlington Street with Charles’ three sons. Walter aged 17 is employed as an iron turner in a machine shop, Squire is aged 14 and employed as a borer in a machine shop. The youngest, Percy Naylor is six and at school.
Walter’s married life:
Walter married Bridget Kelly in the summer of 1903 and their marriage was registered in Keighley in the third quarter of the year. He would have been aged 19 and Bridget would have been a couple of years older, aged 21.
They had three sons who were James Edward, born on the 17th of May 1904; Andrew, born on the 20th of January 1907 and Arthur, born on the 9th of January 1910.
In the 1911 census they were living at 5, Partridge Street in the ‘Birdcage’ area of Eastwood in Keighley, where all the streets are named after birds. This was the home of Catherine Kelly aged 49.
Also living here were Catherine’s family of five, boarders James and Annie Albone and Walter’s family of five who were also boarding here. All told there were 13 people living at this address. There were six rooms in the house and assuming that one was in use as a living room, this means that the thirteen residents would be sleeping in five bedrooms.
Walter and Bridget had been married for eight years and Walter was aged 28 and an iron turner on textile machinery, Bridget was 30 and a worsted yarn spinner, their three son were James aged seven, Andrew aged five who were both at school and the youngest was John, aged two.
War service:
According to the account of his funeral in the Keighley News, Walter enlisted at Keighley in March 1915. He was employed by Messrs. Hall and Stell of Keighley. The Soldier’s effects record calculation suggests an enlistment date of around April 1915.
During his Army service, Walter was wounded on three occasions and the final one was the wound on 17th August 1917 which caused his eventual death as he’d been shot in the head.
War diary. WO-95-1472-3.
21st (Pioneers) West Yorks.
TRIANGLE.
11th August: Work as before.
12th August: A Company ceased work in trenches for week’s training in Camp. Work in trenches now as follows: B Company CURB RESERVE and maintenance of communication trenches South of the SCARPE; C Company CURB SWITCH; D Company CORONA SWITCH and maintenance of trenches North of the SCARPE.
13th August: Work as above. Inspection of Transport.
14th August: Work as above. 2nd Lieutenant BOYCE joined Battalion.
15th August: Work as above. C Company also reconstructing part of BAYONET RESERVE.
16th August: Work as above.
17th August: Work as above. Casualty, 1 man, C Company, wounded.
18th August: Work as above. Casualty, Sergeant ROBINSON and Private REDDY, D Company, killed.
19th August: A Company, relieved D Company on work North of the SCARPE. D Company began four weeks training in Camp. B Company began reconstruction of WELFORD RESERVE. Casualties: 2nd Lieutenant GREEN and Corporal CHURCH, C Company, killed in CURB SWITCH.
20th August: Work as above.
21st August: Work as above.
Walter was evacuated to England and treated at Salford Royal Hospital, where he died on the 25th of October. His body was transported to Keighley and military funeral was held with a firing party and last post being played. Walter was aged 34 when he died.
Keighley News 8th November 1917:
MILITARY FUNERALS.
The interment, with military honours, of Private Walter Blenkarn, West Yorkshire Regiment, of 54, Wellington Street, Keighley, took place at Keighley Cemetery on Monday afternoon. The deceased, who enlisted in March of 1915, had been wounded on three occasions, the last time being on August 17 last, when he received a bullet wound in the head. He was removed to England, but died in the Salford Royal Hospital on Thursday week, his body being later conveyed to Keighley. A firing party from Halifax was in attendance at the funeral, and the coffin was covered with the Union Jack. The Last Post was sounded and volleys were fired over the grave. Thirty-four years of age, Private Blenkarn was formerly employed by Messrs. Hall & Stell, Keighley. He leaves a widow and three children.
Bridget and the boys were living at 28, Eastwood Square in Keighley, just along the road from Partridge Street. Neither address exists today.
Remembrance:
Walter has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone on his grave at Utley Cemetery and the family memorial inscription to him reads: ‘Ever Remembered. Sadly Missed. RIP.’ He is buried in Section G. R.C., grave number 535.
He is also named on the St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church war memorial in Keighley.
Post war:
Bridget would have received Walter’s medals which were the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. She would also have received a war memorial plaque and King’s certificate engraved with his name. Usually all these items arrived between 1920 and 1922.
The Soldier’s effects record shows that she was the sole legatee in his will and received a payment from his Army account of £8 6s 2d on the 20th of February 1918 and a war gratuity of £11 10s 0d on the 14th November 1919.
As his widow and next of kin, Bridget had received a grant of £5 on 1st December 1917.
On the 22nd of April 1918 she began receiving a weekly pension for herself, James, Andrew and Arthur amounting to 26 shillings and 3 pence.
In the 1921 census they were living at 199 South Street in Keighley. This was the home of Bridget’s mother Catherine Kelly aged 53; her brother Walter aged 21, a core maker for George Hattersley and her sister Mary aged 23, a winder for George Hattersley. Both were out of work at the time.
Bridget was 41 and on household duties, James was 18 and a labourer for a metal stamping company, Smith and Johnson of Market Street. Andrew was 14 and an out of work doffer/mill hand for Joseph Denby’s spinning company on Beech Grove, Keighley; John (Arthur) was aged ten and at school.
In the 1939 Register, Bridget was at 5, Woodhouse Drive in Keighley. She was aged 57 and on unpaid domestic duties. Living with her was Arthur who was aged about 29 and a press stamper operator making textile bobbin shields.
She died aged 71 in the first quarter of 1953.
A note on Walter’s religion
Walter was baptised in the Church of England faith at St. Peter’s Church, but he married Bridget Kelly who was a Roman Catholic. We do not know if he converted to Catholicism, but his name is on the St. Anne’s Church Roman Catholic war memorial and he is buried in the Roman Catholic Section of Utley Cemetery. These were decisions which would have been made by Bridget after his death.
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915.
1891 England Census.
1901 England Census.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
1911 England Census.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929.
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
1921 England Census.
1939 England and Wales Register.
