Frank Gerald Blaker

Few soldiers have faced almost certain death with the determination shown by Major Frank Gerald Blaker VC MC. Mortally wounded, under intense Japanese machine-gun fire in the Burmese jungle, Blaker continued forward when the attack around him had stalled. Even after being shot through the body, he remained on the battlefield encouraging his Gurkhas to press home the assault. He was just 24 years old. His final act of leadership would earn him the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

Frank Gerald Blaker was born on 8 May 1920 at Kasauli in Punjab, British India, the son of Gerald Hugh Blaker and Nora Mildred Blaker. His early life already connected him closely with India. He was educated first at St Paul's School in Darjeeling before travelling to Britain in 1937. After attending the Wireless College at Colwyn Bay, he continued his education at Taunton School, where he became a prefect, served as a sergeant in the Officer Training Corps, and distinguished himself in several sports.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Blaker volunteered for military service. Following officer training, he was commissioned into the Highland Light Infantry on 28 June 1941. He subsequently requested service in India and was attached to 3rd Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles, beginning the association with the Gurkhas that would define his wartime career.

Blaker's courage had already attracted official recognition before his Victoria Cross action. During operations near Taung Bazar in Burma on 19 May 1943, he displayed exceptional skill and determination while leading his platoon on patrol against the Japanese. His conduct resulted in the award of the Military Cross. The award was officially announced in the Supplement to The London Gazette on 22 July 1943, where Lieutenant Frank Gerald Blaker, service number 193864, Highland Light Infantry, attached to the Gurkha Rifles, was named among the recipients.

That Military Cross was a warning of the kind of officer the Japanese would face again.

By 1944, Blaker was serving as a temporary Major with the 9th Gurkha Rifles during the brutal Burma campaign. His battalion operated with 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the force associated with the Chindit operations deep inside Japanese-held Burma. The terrain was punishing, supply was difficult, disease was constant, and combat frequently took place at extremely close range in thick jungle.

Then came 9 July 1944.

Near Taungni, Burma, Blaker's company was ordered to make a wide encircling movement through unknown, steep and densely wooded terrain before attacking a powerful Japanese position on a commanding hill. According to his official Victoria Cross citation, Blaker executed the manoeuvre with great precision and positioned his company on the enemy's extreme right flank. Another company had already fought its way onto the forward edge of the position, but fierce resistance prevented it from taking the main crest.

Blaker's own advance was then stopped by devastating close-range fire from Japanese machine guns.

Instead of directing the battle from cover, Major Blaker went forward himself.

Under exceptionally heavy fire, he moved ahead of his men to identify the machine-gun positions that were anchoring the Japanese defence. A grenade severely wounded him in the arm, but he continued. Having located the weapons, Blaker charged the position single-handedly. During the attack he was struck by a burst of three rounds through his body. Even then, lying mortally wounded on the ground, he continued calling encouragement to his men.

The effect was immediate.

Inspired by their commander's example, his Gurkhas surged forward, stormed the hill and captured the objective. The Japanese defenders abandoned the position and withdrew into the jungle. Blaker was carried from the battlefield but died of his wounds during evacuation. The official citation concluded that his "heroism and self sacrifice were beyond all praise" and credited his actions with contributing significantly to the defeat of the enemy and the successful outcome of the operation.

For that extraordinary final action, Captain, temporary Major, Frank Gerald Blaker MC, Highland Light Infantry, attached 9th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. King George VI approved the award, which was officially announced by the War Office in The London Gazette on 26 September 1944.

Blaker's complete wartime medal entitlement reflects both his gallantry and his service in the Second World War. In addition to the Victoria Cross and Military Cross, his group comprises the 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45. Yet the ribbons tell only part of his story. The significance of Frank Blaker lies in the circumstances behind them, particularly the two gallantry decorations earned in Burma and the astonishing courage represented by the Victoria Cross.

Major Frank Gerald Blaker VC MC died on 9 July 1944 at the age of 24. He is buried at Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar, Plot 6, Row E, Grave 2, where the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as a Major of the Highland Light Infantry.

His military career lasted only a few years, but his final minutes secured his place in British and Gurkha military history. Frank Blaker did not merely order his men toward an enemy position. Wounded and under concentrated machine-gun fire, he went first. His men followed, the objective was taken, and the young Major who had inspired them did not survive to learn that his courage would be recognised with the Victoria Cross.

Today, Major Frank Gerald Blaker VC MC is remembered among the outstanding Victoria Cross recipients of the Burma Campaign and the Chindits of the Second World War, an officer whose leadership reached its highest expression at the moment when the danger was greatest.