The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1817) Private Julius Sydney Bloom, 17th Battalion (Infantry), First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (1817) Private Julius Sydney Bloom, 17th Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

1817 Private Julius Sydney Bloom, 17th Battalion
KIA 5 November 1915
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 15 January 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Julius Sydney Bloom of the 17th Battalion, killed on Gallipoli in November 1915.

Julius Bloom, born in 1892 in Paddington, Sydney, was the son of John and Evelyn Bloom. His father was a Jewish financier in Sydney, and in 1905 Julius celebrated his coming-of-age with a Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13. He attended Sydney Grammar School and later studied accountancy, taking up a position in his father's office. Julius was a member of the Alfred Hills Amateur Opera Company and took a passionate interest in music. He was also an active member of the Coogee Life Saving Club, and there is evidence he was interested in racing horses.

In 1914 Bloom made a visit to England, returning to Australia about a month after the start of the First World War. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915 and after periods of training in Australia and Egypt he arrived on the Gallipoli peninsula in September 1915. He proved to be "very popular in the company" during this period.

Bloom arrived on Gallipoli long after the major offensives were over, but the trenches and dugouts around ANZAC Cove were still dangerous. On 5 November he was in the firing line near Quinn's Post. He was reading a letter from his mother when a Turkish mine, laid in secret, exploded under his position. Private Julius Bloom was killed instantly. His body was taken from the rubble of the explosion and re-interred in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. He was 23 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War. There is no photograph in the collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Julius Sydney Bloom, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.