Signalman John Edwin Bloomfield

John Edwin (‘Jack’ or ‘Tosh’ to his Army friends), Bloomfield was born in 1922, and came from Paddington in London. He enlisted in early 1942 and after basic training joined the Royal Corps of Signals where he trained as a Wireless (Radio) Operator. He volunteered for Airborne Forces and became a member of ‘E’ Section, which provided communications for the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, RA at Regimental Headquarters level and above.

By September 1944 he was part of the Commanding Officer’s Rover Group, and was the Wireless (Radio) Operator on the Rear Link set. His immediate commander was L/Cpl. RC. Marshall, and they worked alongside Sigmn. J. Gault and Sigmn. D. Wiggins, who were the CO’s Driver and Wireless (Radio) Operator’s respectively. It was Gault and Wiggins job to drive the C.O. around and keep him in touch with his own Headquarters. It was Marshall and Bloomfield’s job to maintain communications with the Commander Royal Artillery at his Headquarters, which would be co-located with Divisional Headquarters. [1]

All of them had flown to LZ. ‘Z’ near Heelsum and Wolfheze on Sunday, 17 September 1944, as part of Operation ‘Market-Garden’. They were split between two Horsa gliders, and landed successfully, although there was a slight ‘prang’ as they were coming in to land.

By Tuesday, 19 September 1944, Lieut-Colonel. Thompson had established his HQ at the Concert Hall in Lower Oosterbeek, so as he could easily command the three Battery’s of the Light Regiment, now deployed around that area.

What happened to Sigmn. Bloomfield that day, is best described in the words of one of the men there on that day, Sigmn. ‘Des’ Wiggins: “The next morning [19/09/44] we were hanging about waiting for Thompson. He seemed to treat us just like a taxi, taking him here and there without any explanation of where or why he was going. Across the road from us were Jack ‘Tosh’ Bloomfield and L/Cpl. Marshall on the Rear Link set. Suddenly a mortar exploded close to them and ‘Tosh’ went down wounded in the spine. He was stretchered to Kate ter Horst’s house and when George Ball and I went to visit him a few nights later [22/09/44 or 24/09/44] we saw him on top of the pile of corpses out by the front door awaiting burial. We were told that with proper treatment he wound have survived.” [2]

He was, eventually, buried in the ter Horst garden, and after the war his body was recovered from this location and reburied on 8th August 1945 in the Arnhem/Oosterbeek War Cemetery. He now lies in Plot 2, Row B, Grave 9.

NOTES:

[1] Information supplied by Des Wiggins. 1995-96.

[2] Letter to Bob Hilton from Des Wiggins. 3 June 2003.