Rex sadly passed away on the 31st March 2005. Olive joined Rex on the 22nd December 2005

COMPELLING READING - THE K.O.Y.L.I. Jan - Mar 1942

OLIVE AND REX BLOORE

REX BLOORE - KING'S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY/BURMA ARMY CORPS OF CLERKS (CONDUCTOR):  Rex sadly passed away on Thursday 31st March 2005.

Rex went to India and Burma in 1933 as part of the old Empire garrison troops.  

Rex joined the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1933 at the age of 21.  He joined the 2nd Battalion of the KOYLI and was posted to Agra in India.  The task was for the 60 Regiments there to guard against the Russians attacking Afghanistan across the North West Frontier.

In 1940 before the war, Rex was posted to Burma and was with the Battalion as they took over the guard of the garrison in Maymyo.  In 1941 he moved to Rangoon where the Battalion was engaged on riot duties and trying to prevent the clashes between the Indians and the Burmese.

That year Rex married Olive (his wife of 64 years - 01/04/2005) and together they lived in Mingaladon just outside Rangoon in married quarters. Whilst there, Rex transferred to the Burma Army Corps of Clerks with whom he later attained the rank of Conductor (Warrant Officer 1st Class). 

War was declared and when the Japanese invaded in 1942, they would watch the Japanese aircraft coming one by one, to drop their bombs on the Mingaladon airfield (which was at the side of the railway, ammunition and Ordinance stores/hospital and married quarters;  if they missed one target, there was always a good chance that the bombs would not 'be wasted' with having other attractive targets so close.  The bombing became that regular that Rex organised a sweepstake and bets would be taken around the camp based on the timing of the first bomb of the day.  This actually reached the newspapers of the day in the UK.

Rex remembers "You could see their eyes as they shot at you - they just looked straight at you and fired.  We had round trenches rather than slit trenches, and as the Japs attacked, you would have to run around whichever side of the trench would give you most cover".

"When we first went out there, we went to stop the Russians invading into India and on the North West Frontier.  There was never any thought that the Japanese might ever attack.

Where the Japs succeeded was that they could infiltrate anywhere.  Whereas we would use the roads and trains, they would go straight through the jungle on paths that no-one would ever have thought of.  They'd be on push bikes with no tyres on - you'd be amazed at where they'd get through".

The Japanese invaded from the south on their cycles moving up through Moulmein, first moving north and then turning west towards Rangoon and Mingaladon.

Olive who was already a nurse, volunteered to help at the hospital with the sick and wounded but then the Governor of Burma ordered the wives out of the Country.  Olive was lucky in that with some of the other army  wives, she was evacuated to Maymyo and then flown out by the American Air Force in one of their Flying Fortresses to the KOYLI barracks at Simla in India.  For many months there, Olive feared that Rex was missing, captured or worse.  

The wives who were not able to be flown out of Maymyo faced an 850 mile 'walk' out of Burma and into India - many of these ladies did not complete the journey.

In Maymyo after the wives had been evacuated by one means or another, the troops blew the radio station up and slipped into the wilds of the jungle.  They moved back towards Rangoon.  

Whilst the KOYLI moved south towards Rangoon, the Gloucesters who were with them, managed to break out north through the Japanese lines and they ended up fighting the great battle at the Tennis Court in Kohima. 

Rex went with the Burma Div and tried to get out of the Rangoon area but they met with the better equipped and manned Japanese Army.  They moved back into Rangoon where the artillery cover  consisted of one 16 inch gun.  Luckily they were then able to escape on ships which actually followed the Japanese navy along the coast.  They were eventually dropped off at Calcutta in India. 

Rex was then transferred to Kandi in Ceylon where he joined Mountbatten's HQ at S.E.A.C.

Rex continues "The worst thing for us was the fiasco at the Sittang Bridge.  The KOYLI's were making for the bridge to escape and it was blown up before ever they got there.  No-one ever knew who was responsible but our chaps were stuck on this side of the river with the Japanese attacking them.  They had almost no food or ammunition - some hadn't even got boots.  The only way that they could escape was to go across the river.

They had to use anything they could to get across - trees, doors anything they could get their hands on.  And it wasn't a river like the Avon or the Soar, it was really wide and fast.  We lost so many there.  Out of a whole battalion of about 750 only 80 ever survived - it was terrible - I knew almost every one of them - people just do not know and can't imagine what they went through"

 paul@loseby.co.uk 

COMPELLING READING - THE K.O.Y.L.I. Jan - Mar 1942

BLOORE Rex of Quorn.  Loving husband of Olive, father of Anne and the late Jennifer, grandfather of Sally, Tony, Ben, Libby and George, great grandpa of Luke, James, Rosie, Harry, Adam, Elliot and Lucy, died peacefully on March 31st 2005.

His service is to be held at 2.00pm on Monday April 11th at St. Bartholomew's Church, Quron, followed by a private cremation. Family flowers only, donations if desired (and cheques to) Four Seasons Trust c/o G. Gamble and Sons (Quorn) Ltd., Independent Funeral Directors, 101A Meeting Street, Quorn LE12 8AQ.  Tel: (01509) 415415