Charles Hubert Boulby Blount
Encyclopedia
Air Vice-Marshal Charles Hubert Boulby Blount CB
OBE
MC
(26 October 1893 - 23 October 1940) was an English soldier, airman and first-class cricketer. His great-great nephew is singer James Blunt
(né James Hillier Blount).
), Maharashtra
, India
. His father, Major Charles Hubert Blount (1855-1900), served with the 20th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
, and died of dysentery
at Wynberg, Cape Town
, South Africa
, during the Second Anglo-Boer War.
Blount was the first son of his father's second marriage, to Mary Elizabeth Bell. He had half-siblings from his father's first marriage to Eleanor Maud Philips, including Blount's half-brother, Captain Greville Blount, RHA
(1883-1914), who died in France during the first year of the First World War, who is a great-grandfather of singer James Blunt
.
Blount's younger brother, John Hillier Blount, attended Sandhurst
and was granted temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
in April 1918. He joined the nascent Royal Air Force
, but died in an aircraft crash near Beverley
in July 1918.
Blount's son, Christopher Charles Blount, was born 1925. He became a Squadron Leader in the RAF. He married Susan Victoria Cobbold, the second daughter of Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold
, in 1957, and was later awarded the MVO
.
. He played cricket
in the 1910, 1911 and 1912 Eton v Harrow
matches, losing each time. The 1910 Eton v Harrow cricket match became known as Fowler's match
, after the captain of Eton College
, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all-round
batting
and bowling
performance allowed Eton to win the match by 9 runs despite being asked to follow on early on the second day, 165 runs in arrears after the teams' first innings. The teams included one schoolboy who would become a field-marshal (Harold Alexander
), another an air vice-marshal (Blount), and a third an attorney-general (Walter Monckton
), together with various sons of nobility.
Blount was wicket-keeper in the 1911 Eton v Harrow match, and captain in 1912, he scored 137 runs in the second innings of the 1912 match, but could not prevent Eton winning by 6 wickets. He also played six matches for Suffolk
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1910 to 1912, for I Zingari
against Harrow in 1921, and for Free Foresters against Harrow in 1937.
He played 10 first-class cricket matches between 1920 and 1930, four for the Combined Services cricket team
and six for the Royal Air Force cricket team
, scoring 575 runs at an average of 33.82, including his maiden century in his last first-class match against the Army in 1930, and took 12 wicket at an average of 25.25.
His name is recorded on the roll of honour
at Lord's Cricket Ground
.
biplane in 1916 and became a Flying Officer
in the Royal Flying Corps
. He was awarded the Military Cross
on 14 November 1916 for organising his squadron and his own flying.
He took command of a flight
of No. 34 Squadron
, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 on the Western Front
, in November 1916, became the squadron's acting commander in May 1917, and was confirmed as its commanding officer the following month, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
. He was promoted to Temporary Major in June 1917, and became a Temporary Major in the RAF on 1 April 1918. He was also awarded the Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor
.
He was appointed as commander of the Artillery and Infantry Co-operation School in May 1918, and was promoted to Acting Lieutenant Colonel on 1 May 1919. He resigned his commission in the Royal West Surrey Regiment in August 1919 after obtaining a permanent commission as a Squadron Leader in the RAF (with seniority backdated to 1 April 1918).
He commanded No. 4 Squadron at Farnborough
, flying the Bristol F.2 Fighter
, from March 1920 to 1925. His squadron took part in the Chanak Crisis
in 1922, flying off HMS Argus
. He was appointed OBE on 3 June 1924, and attended the RAF Staff College
in 1925. He was promoted Wing Commander in 1925, and took command of No. 7 Squadron
at RAF Bircham Newton
in April 1926, flying the Vickers Vimy
and Vickers Virginia
.
He joined the Directorate of Operations and Intelligence in 1927, and commanded No. 70 Squadron from 1930 to 1932, flying the Vickers Victoria
at RAF Hinaidi
in Iraq. He was promoted Group Captain in 1932, and commanded the Engineering Staff at HQ Iraq Command
from April 1932, before being appointed Commandant of the School of Army Co-operation at RAF Old Sarum in April 1933.
He became Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), No. 2 (Bombing) Group
in August 1936, and was promoted to Air Commodore in 1937, becoming Temporary AOC, No. 2 (Bombing) Group and then succeeding Stanley Goble
as Air Officer Commanding
(AOC), No. 2 (Bombing) Group in December 1937. He became AOC, No. 4 (Bomber) Group
in May 1938. In July 1939, he was promoted to Air Vice Marshal and became AOC, No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group
.
He became AOC, Air Component, British Expeditionary Force
, in September 1939, part of British Air Forces France
. This was an RAF Command set up under the command of Air Marshal Arthur Barratt
to provide unified control of all RAF units based in France. The "Air Component" of the BEF provided RAF reconnaissance and fighter cover.
After the Battle of France
, he returned to England and resumed his post as AOC, No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group in May 1940. He was appointed CB on 11 July 1940.
to Belfast - where he was due to meet GOC, Northern Ireland
- crashed near the airfield shortly after taking off, three days before his 47th birthday. He was buried in south-west corner of the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin Church, Essendon
. He is commemorated on the Felixstowe War Memorial, where the death of his younger brother, John Hillier Blount in an accidental air crash in 1918 is also commemorated.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(26 October 1893 - 23 October 1940) was an English soldier, airman and first-class cricketer. His great-great nephew is singer James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
(né James Hillier Blount).
Family
Blount was born in Kamptee (now KamthiKamthi
Kamthi is a city and a municipal council in Nagpur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is below the confluence of the Kanhan River with the rivers Pench and Kolar.-History:...
), Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His father, Major Charles Hubert Blount (1855-1900), served with the 20th Battery, Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
, and died of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
at Wynberg, Cape Town
Wynberg, Cape Town
Wynberg is a southern suburb of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated between Plumstead and Kenilworth, and is a main transport hub for the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town.- Geography :...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, during the Second Anglo-Boer War.
Blount was the first son of his father's second marriage, to Mary Elizabeth Bell. He had half-siblings from his father's first marriage to Eleanor Maud Philips, including Blount's half-brother, Captain Greville Blount, RHA
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
(1883-1914), who died in France during the first year of the First World War, who is a great-grandfather of singer James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
.
Blount's younger brother, John Hillier Blount, attended Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
and was granted temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
in April 1918. He joined the nascent Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, but died in an aircraft crash near Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
in July 1918.
Blount's son, Christopher Charles Blount, was born 1925. He became a Squadron Leader in the RAF. He married Susan Victoria Cobbold, the second daughter of Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold
Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold
Cameron Fromanteel Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold KG, GCVO, PC, DL was a British banker. He served as Governor of the Bank of England from 1949 to 1961 and as Lord Chamberlain from 1963 to 1971.-Early life and career:...
, in 1957, and was later awarded the MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
.
Cricket
Blount attended Harrow SchoolHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in the 1910, 1911 and 1912 Eton v Harrow
Eton v Harrow
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. It one of the longest-running annual cricket fixtures in the world. It is the last annual school cricket match played at Lord's Cricket Ground...
matches, losing each time. The 1910 Eton v Harrow cricket match became known as Fowler's match
Fowler's match
Fowler's match is the name given to the two-day Eton v Harrow cricket match held at Lord's on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July 1910. The match is named after the captain of Eton College, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all round batting and bowling performance allowed Eton to win the match...
, after the captain of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all-round
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
batting
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
and bowling
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
performance allowed Eton to win the match by 9 runs despite being asked to follow on early on the second day, 165 runs in arrears after the teams' first innings. The teams included one schoolboy who would become a field-marshal (Harold Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
), another an air vice-marshal (Blount), and a third an attorney-general (Walter Monckton
Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Walter Turner Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, GCVO, KCMG, MC, PC was a British politician.-Early years:...
), together with various sons of nobility.
Blount was wicket-keeper in the 1911 Eton v Harrow match, and captain in 1912, he scored 137 runs in the second innings of the 1912 match, but could not prevent Eton winning by 6 wickets. He also played six matches for Suffolk
Suffolk County Cricket Club
Suffolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Suffolk....
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1910 to 1912, for I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
against Harrow in 1921, and for Free Foresters against Harrow in 1937.
He played 10 first-class cricket matches between 1920 and 1930, four for the Combined Services cricket team
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
and six for the Royal Air Force cricket team
Royal Air Force cricket team
The Royal Air Force cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Royal Air Force. The team played 11 first-class matches: nine between 1922 and 1932, mostly against other branches of the Services, and another two in 1945 and 1946. Their home ground is the Royal Air Force Sports Ground,...
, scoring 575 runs at an average of 33.82, including his maiden century in his last first-class match against the Army in 1930, and took 12 wicket at an average of 25.25.
His name is recorded on the roll of honour
Roll of Honour
Roll of Honour may refer to:*A memorial list of names of people who have died in military, police service or other services*Roll of Honour , an Irish Republican song praising the participants in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike...
at Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
.
Army career
Blount attended RMC Sandhurst immediately after leaving school, and became a Second Lieutenant in the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment in September 1913. He was promoted to Lieutenant in October 1914, and then Captain in March 1916. He was taught to fly a Maurice FarmanMaurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman was a French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.-Biography:...
biplane in 1916 and became a Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
in the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. He was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
on 14 November 1916 for organising his squadron and his own flying.
He took command of a flight
Flight (military unit)
A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps. It usually comprises three to six aircraft, with their aircrews and ground staff; or, in the case of a non-flying ground flight, no aircraft and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel. In most usages,...
of No. 34 Squadron
No. 34 Squadron RAF
No. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron, and in the 1930s operated light bombers...
, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, in November 1916, became the squadron's acting commander in May 1917, and was confirmed as its commanding officer the following month, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed by John Kenworthy. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was more difficult to fly, and was regarded with great suspicion at first in the Royal...
. He was promoted to Temporary Major in June 1917, and became a Temporary Major in the RAF on 1 April 1918. He was also awarded the Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor
Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on May 21, 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal...
.
He was appointed as commander of the Artillery and Infantry Co-operation School in May 1918, and was promoted to Acting Lieutenant Colonel on 1 May 1919. He resigned his commission in the Royal West Surrey Regiment in August 1919 after obtaining a permanent commission as a Squadron Leader in the RAF (with seniority backdated to 1 April 1918).
He commanded No. 4 Squadron at Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
, flying the Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
, from March 1920 to 1925. His squadron took part in the Chanak Crisis
Chanak Crisis
The Chanak Crisis, also called Chanak Affair in September 1922 was the threatened attack by Turkish troops on British and French troops stationed near Çanakkale to guard the Dardanelles neutral zone. The Turkish troops had recently defeated Greek forces and recaptured İzmir...
in 1922, flying off HMS Argus
HMS Argus
Nine ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Argus, after Argus, the hundred-eyed giant of mythology: was a 10-gun sloop, originally a French privateer, captured in 1799 and broken up in 1811....
. He was appointed OBE on 3 June 1924, and attended the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
in 1925. He was promoted Wing Commander in 1925, and took command of No. 7 Squadron
No. 7 Squadron RAF
No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.-Formation and early years:No. 7 Squadron was formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 May 1914 as the last squadron of the RFC to be formed before the First World War, but has been disbanded and reformed...
at RAF Bircham Newton
RAF Bircham Newton
RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:...
in April 1926, flying the Vickers Vimy
Vickers Vimy
The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the First World War and post-First World War era. It achieved success as both a military and civil aircraft, setting several notable records in long-distance flights in the interwar period, the most celebrated of which was the first non-stop...
and Vickers Virginia
Vickers Virginia
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-851-1....
.
He joined the Directorate of Operations and Intelligence in 1927, and commanded No. 70 Squadron from 1930 to 1932, flying the Vickers Victoria
Vickers Victoria
-See also:...
at RAF Hinaidi
RAF Hinaidi
Royal Air Force Station Hinaidi, more commonly known as RAF Hinaida, was a British Royal Air Force station near Baghdad in the Kingdom of Iraq...
in Iraq. He was promoted Group Captain in 1932, and commanded the Engineering Staff at HQ Iraq Command
RAF Iraq Command
Iraq Command was the RAF commanded inter-service command in charge of British forces in Iraq in the 1920s and early 1930s, during the period of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. It continued as British Forces in Iraq until 1941 when it was replaced by AHQ Iraq...
from April 1932, before being appointed Commandant of the School of Army Co-operation at RAF Old Sarum in April 1933.
He became Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), No. 2 (Bombing) Group
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
in August 1936, and was promoted to Air Commodore in 1937, becoming Temporary AOC, No. 2 (Bombing) Group and then succeeding Stanley Goble
Stanley Goble
Air Vice Marshal Stanley James Goble CBE, DSO, DSC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served three terms as Chief of the Air Staff, alternating with Wing Commander Richard Williams...
as Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
(AOC), No. 2 (Bombing) Group in December 1937. He became AOC, No. 4 (Bomber) Group
No. 4 Group RAF
No. 4 Group was a Royal Air Force group, originally formed in World War I, and reformed in the wake of the Second World War, mostly part of RAF Bomber Command, but ending its days in RAF Transport Command.-Formation in World War I:...
in May 1938. In July 1939, he was promoted to Air Vice Marshal and became AOC, No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group
No. 22 Group RAF
Number 22 Group is one of only three groups currently active in the Royal Air Force, falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief in Air Command. Its current full title is Number 22 Group and it is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College...
.
He became AOC, Air Component, British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
, in September 1939, part of British Air Forces France
British Air Forces France
British Air Forces in France was an RAF Command set up on 15 January 1940 under the command of Air Marshal Arthur Barratt to provide unified control of all RAF units based in France...
. This was an RAF Command set up under the command of Air Marshal Arthur Barratt
Arthur Barratt
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Sheridan Barratt KCB CMG MC was an officer in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II.-RAF career:...
to provide unified control of all RAF units based in France. The "Air Component" of the BEF provided RAF reconnaissance and fighter cover.
After the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, he returned to England and resumed his post as AOC, No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group in May 1940. He was appointed CB on 11 July 1940.
Death
Blount was killed in an air accident in October 1940, when a scheduled flight from Hendon AerodromeHendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
to Belfast - where he was due to meet GOC, Northern Ireland
HQ Northern Ireland
HQ Northern Ireland was the command formation responsible for the administration of all British Armed Forces stationed in and around Northern Ireland...
- crashed near the airfield shortly after taking off, three days before his 47th birthday. He was buried in south-west corner of the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin Church, Essendon
Essendon, Hertfordshire
Essendon is a Hertfordshire village and civil parish located 6 miles south-west of the town of Hertford on the B158 road.The village is 100 metres above sea level and offers views of the Lea Valley to the north. Although on an ancient site, St Mary's Church dates mainly from the 17th and 18th...
. He is commemorated on the Felixstowe War Memorial, where the death of his younger brother, John Hillier Blount in an accidental air crash in 1918 is also commemorated.