Godfrey Bremridge
| Godfrey Bremridge | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 March 1895 Winkleigh, Devon, England |
| Died |
12 September 1941 (aged 46) Sywell, Northamptonshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
British Army Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 65 Squadron RFC/No. 65 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Air Force Cross |
| Relations | John Henry Bremridge (son) |
| Other work | Pilot Instructor during World War II |
Flight Lieutenant Godfrey Bremridge AFC (1 March 1895 – 12 September 1941) was a World War I flying ace who was credited with five victories.[1]
Early life
On 1 March 1895, Bremridge was born in Winkleigh, Devon county, England. His father was Reverend Henry Bremridge (1854–1913), vicar of Winkleigh. His mother was Dora Milne (1860-1895). Four weeks after his birth, his mother died. Bremridge was the second son. His elder brother was James Philip Alfred Bremridge, a Royal Navy officer. Before Bremridge was born, his sister Mildred Constance died in February 1895 at age two. [2]
Career
Bremridge enlisted into the army, serving in the Army Service Corps in Egypt in 1914–15.[3] At some point he returned to England, and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps where he was appointed a probationary temporary second lieutenant on 2 July 1917,[4] being confirmed in the rank on 6 September 1917.[5] Assigned to No. 65 Squadron, flying the Sopwith Camel, between 18 December 1917 and 9 March 1918 he drove down three enemy aircraft, and destroyed two others,[6] and had a "share" of three victories with other pilots.[3] He was promoted to acting-captain on 1 August 1918,[7] and was awarded the Air Force Cross on 1 January 1919.[8]
After the war he emigrated to the Transvaal in South Africa where he started an orange farm, and became the father of two daughters and a son, John Henry,[3] but returned to England in the mid-1930s. On 12 December 1935 he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, where he was granted a commission as Flying Officer Class "C".[9] On 22 January 1936 Bremridge, then living in Weybridge, Surrey, and Bernard L. Bremridge, a solicitor from Winchester, founded Weybridge Air Services Ltd., a private company, to "carry on the business of carriers of passengers, goods and mails in aeroplanes, etc."[10] However, on 26 April 1937 Bremridge was appointed manager of the sales department at Brooklands Aero Club,[11] where he also worked as a flying instructor.[12]
During the Second World War he served as a Pilot Instructor.
Personal
Death
Bremridge was killed in a flying accident on 12 September 1941. Bremridge was buried at the churchyard of St Peter & St Paul at Sywell, Northamptonshire.[13] Bremridge's brother James Philip Alfred Bremridge joined the Royal Navy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander before dying aboard HMS Delhi in 1926, and is buried in Kalkara Naval Cemetery, Malta. [2]
References
- ↑ "Godfrey Bremridge". The Aerodrome. 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- 1 2 "Bremridge, Rev. H.". Keverel Chess. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- 1 2 3 "History of Godfrey Bremridge". Winkleigh Heroes. 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ↑ "No. 30183". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1917. p. 7083.
- ↑ "No. 30307". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1917. p. 9950.
- ↑ Shores et.al. (1990)
- ↑ "No. 30868". The London Gazette. 27 August 1918. p. 10007.
- ↑ "No. 31098". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 97.
- ↑ "No. 34240". The London Gazette. 7 January 1936. p. 138.
- ↑ "New Companies". Flight. XXIX (1414): 134. 30 January 1936. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ↑ "From the Clubs and Schools". Flight. XXXI (1479): 412. 29 April 1937. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ↑ "Learn to fly". Flight. XXXIII (1526): 303. 24 March 1938. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ↑ "Old Haileyburians who died in the service of their country (1941)". haileybury.com. 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
Bibliography
- Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-19-4.