| Francis Bridgeman | |
|---|---|
Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman |
|
| Born | 7 December 1848 |
| Died | 17 February 1929 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | First Sea Lord Second Sea Lord |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order |
Admiral Sir Francis Charles Bridgeman Bridgeman GCB, GCVO (7 December 1848 – 17 February 1929) was a British sailor.
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The son of Reverend William Bridgeman Simpson and Lady Frances Laura Wentworth FitzWilliam (herself daughter of the Earl Fitzwilliam), and descendant of the 1st Baron Bradford was Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII between 1901 and 1903. From 1907 to 1909, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, from 1909 to 1911 he was Second Sea Lord.
Bridgeman became First Sea Lord in November 1911,[1] and allegedly "got the job by default. From a thin list, Bridgeman had one unusual quality in the pre-1914 navy: a willingness to delegate. But he was also subject to ill-health and in barely a year this had provided the excuse for his replacement, in December 1912".[1]
By October 1912 Bridgeman had clashed with First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill on technical issues as well as matters relating to a perceived overriding of naval traditions by Churchill. Bridgeman, stating that Churchill's actions were denigrating the authority of senior officers and harming the efficiency of the service, threatened to take his case to Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and King George V. Churchill acted on reports of personal correspondence to other officers from Bridgeman concerning attacks of appendicitis and bronchitis, and advised the First Sea Lord on 2 December that his resignation would be accepted. It was subsequently acknowledged, in response to questions in Parliament, that the initiative for resignation on grounds of health emanated from Churchill rather than from Bridgeman himself.[2]
In the opinion of one historian: "The combination of frequent change and weak appointees [Bridgeman, Wilson and Battenberg] ensured that the professional leadership of the Royal Navy lost its direction in the four years preceding the war."[1] However, others have taken a more nuanced view of these men. Arthur Marder wrote that while Bridgeman and Battenberg "were not especially forceful and allowed Churchill a good deal of rope", Bridgeman "did possess sound judgement and he might have made a moderately successful First Sea Lord had he served under anybody but Churchill."[3] Indeed it was Bridgeman's efforts to blockade some of Churchill's more controversial schemes that led to his dismissal, as he himself recognized in a letter to Francis Hopwood: "I was forced out without warning, but it was not because I was too weak, but because I was too strong!"[4]
By 1922, Bridgeman had become Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom and held this post until 1929.
Invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1911, and of the Order of the Bath one year later, Bridgeman was also a Commander of the French Legion of Honour (2nd class), and of the Greek Order of the Redeemer.
On 6 November 1889, he married Emily Charlotte Shiffner, daughter of Thomas Shiffner. He died aged 80 without issue.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir William May |
Second Sea Lord 1909–1911 |
Succeeded by Sir George Egerton |
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson |
First Sea Lord 1911–1912 |
Succeeded by Prince Louis of Battenberg |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, Bt |
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1920–1929 |
Succeeded by Sir Stanley Colville |