The Soldiers

15/518.Pte/WO11 E.C.Jenkyns.MM

Above: Eric Carew Jenkyns as a Lance Corporal

Born. Burley in Wharfedale  10/11/1889

Died. 28^th August 1950

Eric Carew Jenkyns was the second son of seven children (3 boys and 4 girls), his parents owned and ran a boys boarding school. His mothers maiden name was Blackburn and came from Horsforth where the family home "Outward House" still stands today and his father came from Cornwall and was a Latin scholar who eloped with his pupil Edith Ann Blackburn when he was in his forties. In Mylor church in Cornwall stands a window dedicated to one of his uncles and so the name Carew was given to him in recognition of his Cornish ancestry.

On the 5^th of September 1914 he joined the Leeds Pals and served with 9 section 3 platoon, "A" company in Colsterdale and also served with them in France and Egypt. He was promoted to sergeant and then later Warrant Officer second class and also awarded the Military Cross on the 11^th of November 1916 for bravery in the field. When he was in the trenches he met the Prince of Wales who later became Edward V111 who gave him a cigarette which he never smoked and kept as a small memento right up until his death. During the War he was gassed and although he survived he did eventually lose one of his lungs.

Below: Eric Carew Jenkyns as a Warrant Officer wearing his MM ribbon

After being discharged on 4/5/1919 he worked for Rolls Royce but by the early 1920's was working in Lincoln for Ruston and Hornsby where he met Ethel Margaret Taylor (known as Madge) and in September 1923 they got married, there was one child of this marriage, a daughter June, although they separated in 1931 they were never divorced. They both moved to New Malden, Surrey where their daughter was born. Later they moved to Tolworth and Surburbiton. At this time he was working for GN motors of Balham, South London, and later moved to the Rootes Motor Co. where he became personnel manager, and he was also related to the Blackburn's by marriage who owned the Blackburn Aviation Company. One of his greatest passions in the late 1920's was motor racing spending most weekends at Brooklands racing circuit in Surrey, rubbing shoulders with all some of the big names such as Malcolm Campbell, Henry Seagrave and John Cobb.

He died of a heart attack in 1950.

With a special thanks to his daughter June for donating, photographs and family background.

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