Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Tezze British Cemetery Italy | I.C.11 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.116 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 53C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Mary and Caleb Blackford, of Ditchling, Sussex.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2/1 Honourable Artillery Company |
2/1st Battalion Formed at Finsbury on 2 September 1914. Moved to Belhus Park, going on in November to Blackheath, February 1915 to the Tower of London, August to Richmond Park, November to Wimbledon, January 1916 to Orpington, July to Tadworth (Surrey), and returned to Tower in September 1916. 3 October 1916 : landed at Le Havre and placed under command of 22nd Brigade in 7th Division. November 1917 : moved with Division to Italy. |
| Action : Italy (1914-1918) |
Following the collapse of the Italian Front in late 1917 a number of British Divisions were sent to Italy to support and stabilise the Italian effort. In March 1918, XIV Corps (the 7th, 23rd and 48th Divisions) relieved Italian troops on the front line between Asiago and Canove, the front being held by two divisions with one division in reserve on the plain. The French held the line to the left, with the Italians to the right.
The front was comparatively quiet until the Austrians attacked in force from Grappa to Canove in the Battle of Asiago (15-16 June 1918). The Allied line was penetrated to a depth of about 1,000 metres on 15 June but the lost ground was retaken the next day and the line re-established. Between June and September, frequent successful raids were made on the Austrian trenches.
In October, the 7th and 23rd Divisions were sent to the Treviso area of the River Piave front. The 48th Division, which remained in the mountains as part of the Italian Sixth Army, played an important part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (24 October-4 November 1918) in which the Austrians were finally defeated. By late 1918 the danger had passed and many of the British troops returned to the Western Front.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Telephone No. 3301 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
17th October 1908 | 12th December 1908 | 16th January 1909 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley