| [Index] |
| Richard Henry BLOMFIELD (1880 - 1940) |
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| b. 17 Jan 1880 at Armidale, New South Wales, Australia |
| m. 07 Aug 1912 Bessie Desailly WREN (1891 - 1966) at Bega, New South Wales, Australia |
| d. 06 Feb 1940 at North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia aged 60 |
| Parents: |
| Edwin Cordeaux BLOMFIELD (1835 - 1913) |
| Catherina MARSH (1843 - 1934) |
| Children (6): |
| Richard Geoffrey BLOMFIELD (1913 - 1996) |
| Colin Wren BLOMFIELD (1915 - 1963) |
| Innes Clive BLOMFIELD (1919 - 1978) |
| Owen Wren BLOMFIELD (1921 - 1997) |
| Grandchildren (16): |
| Events in Richard Henry BLOMFIELD (1880 - 1940)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| 17 Jan 1880 | Richard Henry BLOMFIELD was born | Armidale, New South Wales, Australia | 8963/1880 | 12 | |
| 07 Aug 1912 | 32 | Married Bessie Desailly WREN (aged 21) | Bega, New South Wales, Australia | 9199/1912 | 12 |
| 25 Feb 1913 | 33 | Death of father Edwin Cordeaux BLOMFIELD (aged 77) | Uralla, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 14 Nov 1913 | 33 | Birth of son Richard Geoffrey BLOMFIELD | Uralla, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 09 Apr 1915 | 35 | Birth of son Colin Wren BLOMFIELD | Uralla, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 29 Jun 1919 | 39 | Birth of son Innes Clive BLOMFIELD | Walcha, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 31 Jul 1921 | 41 | Birth of son Owen Wren BLOMFIELD | Walcha, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 06 Oct 1934 | 54 | Death of mother Catherina MARSH (aged 91) | Armidale, New South Wales, Australia | 12 | |
| 06 Feb 1940 | 60 | Richard Henry BLOMFIELD died | North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 3647/1940 | 12 |
| Personal Notes: |
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Awarded Military Cross in WWI
Military Cross Service Army Rank 2nd Lieutenant Unit 33rd Bn Conflict First World War Date of London Gazette 18 January 1918, page 959, position 2 Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 23 May 1918, page 1126, position 2 Citation reads "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On the 11th and 12th Octr. 1917 near PASSCHENDAELE, this Officer displayed great coolness, determination and leadership in getting his men to the assembly position. On the 13th, 14th and 15th and 1th Octr. he organised and led search parties for the wounded in front of our lines. Regardless of all personal danger he searched the whole area and rescued many wounded. He hiomself carried several Officers and men back through both heavy machine gun and shell fire. On the night of the 17/18th while bringing a wounded man in he was severly wounded. The Officer did excellent work in consolidation and himself worked indefatigably. He showed splendid leadership and ability throughout the operations, and by his very gallant conduct, his determination, his contempt of danger and his tireless energy he set a magnificent example to the whole Bn." http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/awm28/2/407/0017.pdf Battalion Diary. http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM4/23/AWM4-23-50-12.pdf Battle of Broodseinde - see Carlyon 'Great War' pages 476ff. 33rd Btn was part of 3rd Div. Also see 33rd Battlaion AIF http://harrowercollection.com/33rdHist.html The 33rd Battalion was formed in January 1916 at a camp established at the Armidale Showground in New South Wales. The bulk of the battalion's recruits were drawn from the New England region and thus dubbed "New England's Own". The battalion's first, and only commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Morshead, who became famous as the commanding officer of the 9th Australian Division during the Second World War. The composition of the 33rd Infantry Battalion was on a district basis. "A Company" was from Armidale and Tamworth, "B Company" was from Walcha, Uralla, Barrabra, Bingara and Manilla. "C Company" was from Narrabri, Moree and Inverell. and "D Company was from Glen Innes, Guyra and Tenterfield. The 33rd Battalion became a part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. The Battalion left Sydney on the 4th May 1916 bound for the United Kingdom aboard the H.M.A.T. A47 "Marathon". Arriving in England in early July, the Battalion spent the next four months in training. It crossed into France in late November, and moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on the 27th of November, just in time for the onset of the terrible winter of 1916-17. The Battalion had to wait until the emphasis of British and Dominion operations switched to the Ypres Section of Belgium in mid-1917 to take part in its first major battle; this was the battle of Messines, launched on the 7th June. The battalion held the ground captured during the battle for several days afterwards and was subjected to intense artillery bombardment. One soldier wrote that holding the lone at Messines was far worse than taking it. The battalion's next major battle was around Passchendale on the 12th October. The battlefield, though, had been deluged with rain, and mud tugged the advancing troops and fouled their weapons. The battle ended in a disastrous defeat. For the next five months the 33rd alternated between periods of rest, training, labouring, and service in the line. When the German Army launched its last great offensive in the spring of 1918 , the battalion was part of the force deployed to defend the approaches to Amiens around Villers-Brentonneux. It took part in a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on the 30th March, and helped to defeat a major drive on Villers-Bretonneux on the 4th April. Later in 1918, the 33rd also played a role in the Allies own offensive. It took part in the battle of Amiens on the 8th August, the rapid advance that followed, and in the operation that breached the Hindenburg Line at the end of September, thus sealing Germany's defeat. The 33rd Battalion disbanded in March 1919. |
| Source References: |
| 12. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Genes reunited, Title: Genes |
| - Reference = Peter Myler (Death) |
| - Reference = Peter Myler (Name, Notes) |
| - Reference = Peter Myler (Marriage) |
| - Reference = Peter Myler (Birth) |
| 30. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Monaro Pioneers, Title: Monaro pioneers, Locn: http://www.monaropioneers.com/ |
| - Reference = http://www.monaropioneers.com/blomfieldtv.htm (Name, Notes) |