B63868 Lance Corporal Robert William Blencoe (also Blencowe) was born in Newmarket, Ontario on 25 August 1920, the son of William Albert Blencowe and Edith Sophy Middleton, and had four brothers (3 also served) and three sisters. He left school at 16 having completed public school.

Blencoe was a woodworker for Officer Specialty Manufacturing Company when he enlisted in Toronto on 12 Jun 1940 with The Queen’s Own Rifles.

He served in Newfoundland with W Force and on 29 Aug 1941 disembarked in Courock, Scotland. On 26 Jan 1944 Blencoe was appointed Lance Corporal. He landed on Juno Beach on D-Day on 6 Jun 1944 and was wounded on 10 Aug 1944. He returned to the QOR on 20 Oct.

Lance Corporal Blencoe was killed in action in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on 30 May 1945 and is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference XX. E. 2.

A letter was written to his parents by the Regimental Chaplain A. J. Mowatt which included the following excerpts:

“Bob was killed after we crossed the Rhine River and started to take out the strong German position of Emmerich and Hoch Elton. A mortar bomb landed near him and killed him instantly. We feel badly about it as his comrades felt his loss keenly. You will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that your son helped break the strong German position and allowed us to break right through and free northern Halland.

With some of his friends attending, I buried Bob in our temporary Canadian cemetery in Vrasselt, Germany… I hope you will feel the way that we do who survive. Bob and his comrades have given their lives to clear this world of history’s greatest gangsters. After visiting the occupied countries, we firmly believe this. We shall not, with God’s help, repeat our mistakes of the pre-war years”