Geboortejaar: 1893

Geboorteplaats: Dangar Village, Narrabri, New South Wales, Australië

Beroep: Arbeider

Land: Australië

Strijdmacht: Australian Imperial Force

Rang: Lance Serjeant

Service nummer: 16

Dienstneming datum: 13/01/1916

Dienstneming plaats: Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australië

Eenheden:  —  Australian Infantry, 34th Bn.  (Laatst gekende eenheid)

Datum van overlijden: 12/10/1917

Plaats van overlijden: Seine, Zonnebeke, België

Doodsoorzaak: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Leeftijd: 24

British War Medal Medaille

Victory Medal Medaille

Lance Sergeant John (Jake) Bloomfield was part of the 34th Battalion Australian Infantry, 9th Australian Brigade, 3rd Australian Division. His battalion took part in the First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. The 3rd Australian Division attacked at 5.25 a.m. The 34th Battalion Australian Infantry advanced but heavy shelling on the jump-off line brought confusion. The first and second objective were reached but the attack did not have enough force to consolidate the gains. As a result they were forced to retire almost back to their start line after 3 p.m. Lance Sergeant John Bloomfield’s body was found between Seine house and Tyne cot. (D16.d.7.8.), behind the jump-off line. Most witnesses in the Red Cross file report him being struck by a shell, killing him and other men around him. Most say he and the others were buried not far from a structure (pillbox or concrete dugout) and the grave marked with a rifle. His first grave was located in the Flandern I Stellung, a German bunker line. There is confusion about the date and time of his death, but one witness named a Private called Alexander Michael (service number 832) to be one of the men killed by the same shell. This man was reported to have been killed on the 13th of October 1917. This, together with other witness accounts, make it most likely that Lance Sergeant Jack Bloomfield was killed on the night between the 12th and the 13th, while consolidating the new frontline after the attack.

[s .n.], Short History of the 34th Battalion AIF, 1957, 22-25. Gebruikte bronnen

AIF Project https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=25400 Gebruikte bronnen

Chris McCarthy, Passchendaele : The Day-by-Day account, 2018, 128-131. Gebruikte bronnen

CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/461966/bloomfield,-/ Gebruikte bronnen

Foto https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/293324 Gebruikte bronnen

Red Cross Wounded and Missing File and Embarkation Roll https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=Bloomfield+16 Gebruikte bronnen

Service Record https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3093386&isAv=N Gebruikte bronnen

The Long Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ Gebruikte bronnen

War Diary 34th Bn. Australian Infantry https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339199 Gebruikte bronnen