2nd Lieutenant Lawrence Cave Blencowe. 1/10th Battalion Kings Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Scottish) Killed in Action 29th June 1917 aged 30

 2nd Lieutenant Lawrence Cave Blencowe. 1/10th Battalion Kings Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Scottish) Killed in Action 29th June 1917 aged 30





Lawrence Cave Blencowe ran a small school called Orleton at Arden Croft in Ilkley. Originally from Northamptonshire he had attended St Edwards School in Oxford and later Queens College Oxford University where he won a blue for Rugby Union. He also played for the Harlequins club in London and Headingley in Leeds. A regular with Yorkshire RUFC he had several trials for the full England XV. He may have been attracted to the town because of its excellent rugby reputation having provided 3 members of the pre war England team. Newly married in 1914 he waited until 1915 to enlist as a private in the West Yorkshire Regiment. He was commissioned in 1916 and joined the 10th Kings Liverpool Regiment which also included Ilkley resident and England player Jack King. Lawrence was killed on the 29th June 1917 whilst leading his platoon in a daylight trench raid. Sadly his body was never found and he is remembered on the Memorial to the missing at Ploegstreet. The photograph on the left is taken from Yorkshire RUFC Memorial book. The other photograph shows Lawrence standing second from the left with the 1907 Oxford University 1st XV (Wki Commons)


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