North Irish Horse - Gallery - Documents and relics

Lieutenant William Westley Blanden

William Westley Blanden was born on 9 July 1892 at Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, a son of farmer Walter Chinery Blanden. He enlisted in the Suffolk Imperial Yeomanry on 27 March 1908 (No.1174) and then the Suffolk Yeomanry on its creation in May 1908 (No.3018). He sailed with the 1/1 Suffolk Yeomanry for Gallipoli at the end of September 1915, returning home on 10 December, having contracted dysentery. After a period of convalescence he transferred to the Suffolk Regiment (No.40318), joining the 12th Battalion in France from 27 August 1916. Early in the new year he was sent to the cavalry cadet school at Netheravon. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 29 June 1917 and posted to the North Irish Horse reserve regiment at Antrim. Blanden was sent to France near the end of the war, joining the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment in the field on 13 September 1918. The regimental diary refers to his leading a patrol of D Squadron to scout German positions on 5 October. Blanden was promoted to Lieutenant on 29 December, 1918, was demobilized on 14 February 1919, and resigned his commission on 14 February 1920.

A report on the horse show at Balmoral in the Belfast Newsletter (3 August 1918) is below. In winning the VC Race for officers, Blanden beat North Irish Horse comrades A.N.V. Hill-Lowe and W.M. Hunter into second and third places. Blanden on his horse Jederene also finished third in the 'novice jumping competition over the course for horses never having won a first prize in any jumping competition'.

The above silver cigarette box presented to Lieutenant Blanden is inscribed:

WON BY W.W. BLANDEN 2ND LT

NORTH IRISH HORSE

AUG. 2ND 1918

IN THE V.C. RACE AT

BALMORAL SHOW BELFAST

A cigarette case owned by Lieutenant Blanden is shown below.