William Bridgeford KBE CB DSO (1894 - 1971)

Ancestors

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Formative years 1.2 The Great War 1.3 Inter-war period 1.4 Second World War 1.5 Another war: Korea 1.6 Old soldiers never cease serving 2 Sources 3 See also

Biography

Lieutenant General Sir William Bridgeford KBE CB DSO MC was a senior officer in the Australian Army. He began his military career in 1913 and fought on the Western Front during the First World War, before rising to command the 3rd Infantry Division during the Bougainville campaign in the Second World War. Later he served as the Commander in Chief of British Commonwealth Forces Korea during the Korean War. He retired from the military in 1953 and was appointed chief executive officer of the organising committee for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, as well as being the director of several companies and treasurer of a returned services organisation.

Formative years

William Bridgeford was born on 28th July 1894 in Smeaton, Victoria (Australia) to George Bridgeford, a Scottish-born baker, and his wife Christina Gordon Calder. He was their eldest child. ^[1]

In 1913, he was accepted into the Royal Military College, Duntroon. Although the course was four years long, he graduated early in June 1915 with the rest of his class due to Australia's growing commitment to the First World War.

The Great War

William was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Permanent Military Force, but volunteered for overseas service with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 29th June 1915 and was posted to the 29th Infantry Battalion, in Egypt. ^[2] He did not see action with the 29th, for in February 1916 the machine gun sections of the 8th Infantry Brigade, of which the 29th Infantry Battalion was a part, were transferred to the brigade's newly formed 8th Machine Gun Company.

Captain Bridgeford served with the 8th Machine Gun Company on the Western Front, where he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for his actions during the Battle of Fromelles ^[3] and later undertook staff training at brigade and divisional level. In April 1918 he was gassed and subsequently evacuated but he returned to his unit in August and was promoted to temporary Major the following month. After the armistice was signed in November 1918, William worked as a staff officer, before returning to Australia 2nd March 1919.

Inter-war period

On 22nd November 1922 in Scots' Church, Melbourne, Victoria, William married divorcee Phyllis Frederico. ^[4] The couple had one son together.

He held a number of staff positions throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including a position on the staff at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1925–26. He attended the Staff College, Quetta in British India the following year. On returning to Australia, he undertook duties as an instructor and as a staff officer. In 1938 William attended the Imperial Defence College in London and upon the outbreak of the Second World War he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as the military liaison to the British government.

Second World War

He briefly commanded the 25th Infantry Brigade upon its formation in the United Kingdom in June 1940 before serving as the Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General (DA&QMG) of I Corps. For his work during the campaign in Greece, William was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). ^[5][6] and received the Greek Military Cross 1st Class. ^[7] Later, William was promoted to temporary Major General. Between April and August 1943 he commanded the 3rd Armoured Division before serving on the staff of New Guinea Force during the New Guinea campaign from August 1943 to June 1944. In July 1945 he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his work in the South West Pacific. ^[8] In July 1944 he took command of the 3rd Infantry Division. Although it was his first field command, he subsequently led them successfully through the Bougainville campaign. ^[9]

Another war: Korea

Following the end of the war, William took up a position as Quartermaster General of the Australian Army and as a member of the Military Board. In June 1950 he led an Australian mission to Malaya, before being promoted to Lieutenant General the following year and taking up the position of Commander-in-Chief of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. ^[10] He returned to Australia and retired from the military in April 1954.

Old soldiers never cease serving

Following his retirement from the Army, William worked as the Chief Executive Officer of the organising committee of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, for which he was created Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in May 1956. ^[11][12] He also served as the director of a number of companies, including a television company, and was actively involved with the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia.

Aged 77 years, William passed away on 21st September 1971 in Kenmore, Queensland, survived by his son and step-daughter. ^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #24269/1894
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: Major William Bridgeford; accessed 21 May 2018
3. ↑ Australian Honours: MC; accessed 29 Jul 2022
4. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #11825/1922
5. ↑ Australian Honours: CBE; accessed 29 Jul 2022
6. ↑ London Gazette 26 December 1941 Issue: 35396 Page: 7325: Brigadier William Bridgeford CBE; accessed 21 May 2018
7. ↑ London Gazette 7 April 1942 Supplement: 35519 Page: 1595: Brigadier William Bridgeford CBE MC; accessed 21 May 2018
8. ↑ Australian Honours: CB; accessed 29 Jul 2022
9. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: VX38969 Major General William Bridgeford; accessed 21 May 2018
10. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: 36 Lieutenant General William Bridgeford; accessed 21 May 2018
11. ↑ Australian Honours: KBE; accessed 29 Jul 2022
12. ↑ London Gazette 25 May 1956 Supplement: 40788 Page: 3140: Lieutenant General William Bridgeford KBE; accessed 21 May 0218
13. ↑ Queensland Death Index #1971/B/26918

See also

• Grey, Jeffrey. Bridgeford, Sir William (1894–1971), Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 21 May 2018.
• Wikipedia profile: William Bridgeford; accessed 21 May 2018.