Richard Bridgeman was the fifth child of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford and Lady Ida. He was born on 15 July 1879 and baptised at Castle Bromwich church – the family lived at Castle Bromwich Hall. Richard ‘s godfather was the former prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, a close friend of the family who had recently been ennobled by Queen Victoria as Lord Beaconsfield from whom Richard took his middle name.
In 1898 Richard Bridgeman joined the Royal Navy. He sailed as First Lieutenant on the Royal Yacht, RMS Medina on the voyage of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911-1912, and was promoted to Flag Commander when that ship was put back into public service. (Richard Bridgeman’s mother, Lady Ida was a close friend of Queen Mary.)
Awarded DSO
When the First World War began he served in Africa and was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) by the King in 1915. His citation stated that he had ‘displayed great courage and coolness . . . though subjected to a heavy and accurate fire . . . worthy of the best traditions of the Royal Navy.’
He had been in command of two whaling ships with orders to board and destroy the SS Markgraf in Tanga Harbour, the military port of German East Africa, now mainland Tanzania. Due to heavy fire from German guns on land, Bridgeman was unable to carry out the task and the German ship was subsequently destroyed by HMS Severn which had been covering the raid.
Mentioned in Despatches
He also took part in the attack on the German cruiser SMS Königsberg in the Battle of the Rufiji Delta in German East Africa in 1915 and was mentioned in the despatches of the Vice Admiral of the Fleet.
In January 1917 Cmdr Bridgeman was undertaking reconnaissance flights as the observer around the Rufiji River delta in a seaplane operating from the depot ship HMS Hyacinth. Squadron Leader, Flight Lieutenant Edwin Moon was in the pilot’s seat. As they were making their way back to the ship, the seaplane’s engine failed and Moon was forced to land in a creek of the river. He was unable to get the engine started again and they decided to burn the plane.
Desperate Attempt To Evade Germans
The two men walked and waded and swam for three days making for the mouth of the river where the Hyacinth was moored. Finally they managed to make a raft from the resources of the jungle. Unfortunately the raft was swept out to sea and Bridgeman died of exposure. The raft then floated back to land where Moon was captured by German troops to spend the remainder of the War as a prisoner of war in Africa. He was awarded the DSO for ‘the greatest gallantry in attempting to save the life of his companion.’
Richard Bridgeman’s body was recovered and later buried in the war cemetery in Dar-es-Salaam and, after the War, his family had a plaque put up in Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Zanzibar.
In 1920 his mother, the Countess of Bradford unveiled the War Memorial on Castle Bromwich Green bearing the names of local men who had died fighting for their country in the Great War.
Her own son’s name is one of those carved on the Altar of Remembrance.
Acknowledgements: This article has been developed from research by Terrie Knibb and the Castle Bromwich Youth & Community Partnership. For more information about the Castle Bromwich Graveyard Project go to http://castlebromwichgraveyard.co.uk/.
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