| Blakeney | Robert Byron Drury | | Lieutenant | BLAKENEY, ROBERT BYRON DRURY, Lieutenant, was born 18 April 1872, at Mitcham, Surrey, son of William Blakeney, Paymaster-in-Chief, RN, of Hillsborough, Westward Ho! He entered the Royal Engineers 24 July 1891; became Lieutenant 24 July 1894; was specially employed with the Egyptian Army 13 April 1896 to 9 October 1896, and employed with the Egyptian Army 10 October 1896 to 22 April 1899. He served in the Expedition to Dongola in 1896, taking part in the operations of 19 September. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 3 November 18961, and received the Egyptian Medal with clasp. He served in the Nile Expedition of 1897 (clasp to Egyptian Medal), and in the Nile Expedition of 1898, when he was present at the Battle of Khartoum; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 30 September 1898]; received the Medal and a clasp to the Egyptian Medal, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 15 November 1898]: "Robert Byron Drury Blakeney, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers. In recognition of services during the recent operations in Egypt and the Sudan, including the Battle of Khartoum". (The Insignia presented by the Queen at Windsor 12 January 1899.) He was on special extra-regimental employment 23 April 1899 to 24 January 1900, in command of the 3rd Balloon Section, South African War, 1900-1; was DAD Railways, South Africa, 1 July 1900 to 17 June 1901; took part in the operations in Orange River Colony and Cape Colony, 1900. He was on extra-regimental employment, 18 June 1901. He was given the Third Class Osmanieh, 1905; was Deputy General Manager, Egyptian State Railways, 1906-13; became Major 24 July 1911; received the Second Class Medjidie, 1912; retired from the Army 4 February 1914. Major Blakeney served in the operations on the Suez Canal, 1914-15; was present at the action of 2 February, and mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 21 June 1916]. He served in the Dardanelles Expedition as AD, Railway Transport, and Temporary Lieutenant Colonel, and served in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918, as Deputy Director of Railway Traffic. He received the Order of the Nile, Second Class, 1916; was present at preliminary operations round Gaza 29 and 30 October 1917. Four times mentioned in Despatches; CMG, 3 June 1918; Director of Railway Traffic, EEF, 8 April 1919, with temporary rank of Brigadier General; General Manager, Egyptian State Railways, 1 April 1919. Major Blakeney married, 6 May 1903, Dorothy, daughter of Major Nelson Ellis, 101st Royal Munster Fusiliers, and they had two sons and one daughter.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Royal Engineers |
