George Nicholson Bradford

Leapt onto the mole under fire to secure the assault vessel.

George Nicholson Bradford was born in County Durham on 23 April 1887, the son of colliery manager George Bradford and Amy Marion Bradford. He was one of four brothers who later served in the First World War. Educated before entering naval training, he developed a particular enthusiasm for sport and became an accomplished boxer as well as a professional naval officer.

Bradford's early seagoing appointments included the battleships HMS Revenge and Exmouth. As a sub-lieutenant he joined the destroyer HMS Chelmer in 1908. In March 1909, after another destroyer collided with the trawler Halcyon, he helped rescue a crewman from the sea. He became a lieutenant that year, and subsequently served in the battleship Vanguard and as first lieutenant of the destroyer Amazon.

In January 1914, Bradford joined HMS Orion. He served with the Grand Fleet during the First World War and was among Orion's personnel at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. He reached lieutenant-commander in July 1917. Meanwhile, the war had taken two of his brothers: James died of wounds in May 1917, and Roland, a Victoria Cross recipient in the Durham Light Infantry, was killed in November.

Bradford volunteered for the Zeebrugge raid, the attempt to block the Belgian port's canal entrance against German naval forces. On the night of 22-23 April 1918, he commanded the naval storming parties carried by HMS Iris II. Alongside the mole, the ship's violent movement made it difficult to secure the parapet anchors needed for the assault troops to land. An initial attempt with scaling ladders ended in the death of Lieutenant Claude Hawkings.

Although securing the ship was outside his assigned duties, Bradford climbed a derrick carrying an anchor. While the derrick struck the mole and the ship surged, he waited for his chance, jumped onto the parapet and fixed the anchor. Machine-gun fire struck him immediately afterward and he fell into the water between the ship and mole. He died on 23 April, his 31st birthday.

Bradford received the Victoria Cross posthumously. His body was later recovered and buried at Blankenberge Town Cemetery, Belgium. In April 1919, King George V presented his medal to his mother. George and Roland were the only brothers awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War.

Victoria Cross citation Lieutenant-Commander George Nicholson Bradford, R.N.

For most conspicuous gallantry at Zeebrugge on the night of the 22nd-23rd April, 1918.

This officer was in command of the Naval Storming Parties embarked in "Iris II." When "Iris II." proceeded alongside the Mole great difficulty was experienced in placing the parapet anchors owing to the motion of the ship. An attempt was made to land by the scaling ladders before the ship was secured. Lieutenant Claude E. K. Hawkings (late "Erin") managed to get one ladder in position and actually reached the parapet, the ladder being crashed to pieces just as he stepped off it. This very gallant young officer was last seen defending himself with his revolver. He was killed on the parapet.

Though securing the ship was not part of his duties, Lieut.-Commander Bradford climbed up the derrick, which carried a large parapet anchor and was rigged out over the port side; during this climb the ship was surging up and down and the derrick crashing on the Mole; waiting his opportunity he jumped with the parapet anchor on to the Mole and placed it in position.

Immediately after hooking on the parapet anchor Lieut.-Commander Bradford was riddled with bullets from machine guns and fell into the sea between the Mole and the ship. Attempts to recover his body failed. Lieut.-Commander Bradford's action was one of absolute self-sacrifice; without a moment's hesitation he went to certain death, recognising that in such action lay the only possible chance of securing "Iris II" and enabling her storming parties to land.