Leslie Bloom - Essex Police.
Served from 9th November 1967. Died 5th January 1978.

Fond memories of a fallen hero

Recollections of a constable who died during service 26 years ago have been rekindled by a former pupil whose memory was jogged by a website.

Seb Rees, 33, happened by chance upon the reference to Pc Leslie Bloom on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website. The Trust, chaired by Deputy Chief Constable Charles Clark, honours the memory of officers who have died either in service or during the World Wars. Pc Bloom, who was 30, served from November 1967 until his death in January 1978. He was killed when his motorbike was in collision with a van in Colchester.

As a child, Mr Rees attended Great Tey Primary School, where Pc Bloom regularly gave road safety awareness tuition and was known to the youngsters as 'Pc Blue'. Mr Rees said: "I never forgot about Pc Bloom and, as I grew up, he became my 'mental mentor' in helping me keep on the straight and narrow while using the road. When I entered the website it was as if my mentor jumped right off the page and I am thankful for that." At Christmas, Mr Rees met at headquarters with Pc Bloom's daughter Wendy, 29, who presented him with a county council calendar from 1979 featuring a picture of her father working with schoolchildren.

They were joined by DCC Clark and former ACC Geoffrey Markham, who founded the Memorial Trust. Wendy said: "When I saw Seb's message on the website it was so touching that it brought me to tears. "It's wonderful that the site exists, and that it brings such nice tributes from people." Wendy's father was buried at Elmstead Market, where she and her fiance David Whiting will be married in June. DCC Clark said: "The website is a great idea which has hits from all over the world. It makes links between people who wouldn't otherwise come together and share experiences, and is a valuable archive of the force's history and heritage."

Pictured left to right, former ACC Geoffrey Markham, Seb Rees, David Whiting, Wendy Bloom and Deputy Chief Constable Charles Clark.

This article is reproduced from The Law newspaper edition number 351 (January 2004).

The photograph which appeared on the calendar presented to Seb Rees by Wendy Bloom.