No.5834551, Private, Edward Charles BRADFORD
Aged 30
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Edward Charles BRADFORD was born at 4 Peas Hill, Haverhill on 10th January 1913 (Risbridge Q1-1913 4A:1714) son of Grace BRADFORD, a
domestic servant, aged 19, in 1911 working at the Angel Inn, Attleborough. She possibly married Edward W. HUGGINS (Aylsham 1914) and lived in Walsingham.
Edward married Violet Nellie K. RIDGEWELL (reg Halstead in Q3-1939 ), she died in 1995 in Cambridge The 1939 register creates a question..Violet K.N. BRADFORD [28-8-1918], married, is at 6 Nunn's Yard with Edward C BRADFORD [1-10-1903], married, a bricklayer's labourer. That suggests a "bending" of birth dates for Edward, somewhere, someone, seems to have added around 10 years to his age. It does not appear to be a typo.
It is thought that Edward and Violet had a son, Kenneth C.A. who was born at about the same time (Halstead Q1-4a:1675)that his father died in 1942 so when Edward left the previous October he
and Violet would have been looking forward to the arrival of their first child, a son he was never to see. Violet did not remarry and lived locally, we believe
in Steeple Bumpstead, until her death in 1995, aged 76. |
Edward Charles, like so many other local men in 1939, would have responded to the call to double the Territorial Army. He joined B Company of the 5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment. Initial training took place at North Walsham with the first few months spent in the Norfolk area performing guard duties at river bridges; coastal defence in the sand dunes of Hemsby and also in and around stately homes. The unit was then moved on to other locations, being stationed at Fulbourn near Cambridge, then to Hawick, Scotland; Liverpool; Isle of Anglesey; and finally Leominster in Herefordshire. In early October 1941, whilst at Leominster, they were informed that they would be going overseas, possibly for service in the Middle East. On 27th October they made their way by train to Liverpool Docks, where they embarked on a troopship named the 'Reina del Pacifico' which was a part of the 18th Division Convoy. On reaching Halifax, Nova Scotia, the troops disembarked from the 'Reina del Pacifico' to board an American troopship named the 'Wakefield'. This vessel then took them to Bomaby and thece to Singapore.
The 5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment were immediately involved in fierce fighting defending the northeast of the Island, an extensive front of some open beach and
long stretches of mangrove swamps. On the 13th of February 1942, barely 2 weeks after arriving, they were along the Farrer Road, (just west of the present Singapore
Botanic Gardens), slowly being pushed eastward. Edward Charles Bradford, aged 30, was killed in action. He was buried
the following day by two members of the Australian Infantry Force, Padre Islair 2/26 battalion and Lt G A Veitch, 2/Coy Field Ambulance. |
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details
