Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Roland Boys Bradford, VC, MC (23 February 1892 – 30 November 1917) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and an English recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. His elder brother, Lieutenant Commander George Bradford, was also awarded the Victoria Cross, making them the only pair of brothers to be awarded the medal during the First World War.

Early life

Bradford was born on 23 February 1892 at Witton Park,

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, to George Bradford.Bradford, Roland Boys
Commonwealth War Graves Commission and educated at

Epsom College Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orpha ...

in Surrey. He had three brothers, James Barker, Thomas Andrews and George Nicholson,Bradford, George Nicholson
Commonwealth War Graves Commission of which he was the youngest "and by far the liveliest, endowed with an excellent mind and an ebullient sense of fun".

Military service

Bradford was commissioned into the 5th Battalion,

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

unit) in 1910. He transferred to the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

in 1912, joining his regiment's 2nd Battalion with the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. He was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in February 1915. On 1 October 1916, Bradford, now a temporary

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

commanding the 9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, was awarded the

(VC) for his actions at

Eaucourt L'Abbaye Warlencourt-Eaucourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Warlencourt-Eaucourt is situated some south of Arras, at the junction of the D929 and the D10E roads. Population Places of ...

, France. His citation for the award was published in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' on 25 November, reading:

Promotion and death

Brig Gen R B Bradford's grave at Hermies British Cemetery

On 13 November 1917, at the age of 25, he was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

; he was the youngest

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

in the

of modern times (and the youngest promoted professionally, earlier young generals were simply due to position). He was killed "by a stray German shell" at

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

, France, seventeen days later, on 30 November 1917. All three of Bradford's brothers also served in the First World War. Two, Lieutenant Commander George Bradford of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and Second Lieutenant James Barker Bradford, also of the Durham Light Infantry, died in service. George and Roland were the only pair of brothers to win the VC in the First World War. His third brother, Colonel Sir Thomas Bradford, became honorary treasurer of

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

and High Sheriff of County Durham in 1941.

Legacy

Bradford's VC and Military Cross are currently on loan to the University of Durham and are held at Palace Green Library adjacent to

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, England. Medals are not on display, but members of the public are able to consult individual medals or groups of medals from the collection in the Barker Research Library within Palace Green Library. A memorial garden and statue to Bradford was unveiled in 2017. The British government commemorated the centenary of the First World War by installing an inscribed stone at the recipient's birthplace. Local councillors from Bradford's birthplace at Witton Park decided to use this occasion to create a memorial garden at the site with help from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, Groundwork North-East and Durham County Council. A metal statue by

Ray Lonsdale Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...

called ''The Ball'' was installed as part of the memorial garden. This depicts a soldier returning home from the front together with a pitman who is comforting him and passing a football to him representing giving him back his old life before the war.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Roland Boys 1892 births 1917 deaths British Army generals of World War I British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in World War I People educated at Epsom College Recipients of the Military Cross People from Witton Park Durham Light Infantry officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army brigadiers Military personnel from County Durham Burials in France