George’s war story uncovered from the railway to the grave

The Rectory Lane Cemetery Project was asked by George Blincow’s grandson whether itwould be prepared to undertake maintenance of his father’s and grandfather’s graves.

The volunteer group carried out the work with pleasure and has received a generous donation and interesting information about the Blincow family in return.

George Blincow was born on 13th October 1858, and forged a career on the L&NW Railway for 47 years – he was appointed Station Master atBerkhamsted in 1903, where he served for 18 years until his retirement in 1921.

George moved with his family into the then-recently constructed stationmaster’s house, which still stands today in Lower Kings Road.

In historic interviews with the Gazette, George told of his wartime experiences on the tracks, including despatching 4,000 troops on trains as war broke out in 1914, and seeing the station heaving with men, horses and guns requiring transport during the night, as the rest of the town slept.