Berenger Bradford

Brigadier Berenger Colborne Bradford (15 October 1912 – 4 March 1996), known as Bill Bradford, was a British Army officer who served in the Black Watch from 1932 to 1959. Bill Bradford was the second child and only son of Col. Edward Austen Bradford, DSO (1879-1958) and Margaret Louisa Hardy (1878-1972). Born in Chelsea, London he grew up at Empshott Lodge, Liss, Hampshire. Educated at Eton College he then spent a few months improving his French at a private ‘school’ run by Billy and Anne-Marie Gardnor-Beard at Chateau de Nanteuil, Huisseau-sur-Cochon, Blois, France before going to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He commissioned into the 2nd Bn. The Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment (BW). In 1935 he joined a draft from 2nd BW to join 1st BW in India. In 1937 he was cross-posted to 1st BW which moved from India to Sudan before returning to Dover in March 1938. On 1 January 1939 Bradford became Adjutant of 1st BW at a time when frantic preparations were starting as war seemed inevitable. After Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 orders for General Mobilisation were received on 4th Sept. 1939 and on 5 October 1939 1st BW embarked for France aboard RMS Mona’s Queen (2,756 tons). The Bn. helped prepare defences along the French/Belgian border and also served on the Maginot Line near Metz on two occasions. After the German Army advanced at Sedan on 10 May the Bn., which was now part of the 51st Highland Division which was under French Command and no longer part of the British Expeditionary Force, was moved to reinforce the French lines at the Somme. In early June 1940 the 51st fought a gallant moving rearguard action which ended with the encirclement of the division at St. Valery-en-Caux, in Picardy on 12 June 1940.