Roland Bradford

I have no hesitation in including Roland Boys Bradford in Jockeypedia, even though he neither rode on the Flat nor over the jumps.

But he did once ride in a point-to-point.

As an officer, it was expected of him to have horses to hunt and ride. At the end of the 1914 hunting season, he bought a horse and entered it for a race at Lichfield, Staffordshire. Against all the odds and without any experience of race-riding, he took on and beat some really decent company. He was born on February 23, 1892, at Witton Park, County Durham and was educated at Epsom College. On leaving, he entered an Army College where he quickly rose through the ranks. At the outbreak of war he was with the Durham Light Infantry and won a Military Cross.

On October 1, 1916, his battalion at Eaucourt L’Abbaye came under heavy machine-gun fire, severely wounding the commanding officer. Roland immediately sought – and was given – permission to take over the command.

Showing fearless energy and skilful leadership, he succeeded in rallying the attack to capture and defend the objective.

For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross. In November 1917, he was promoted to Brigadier-General, making him the youngest Brigadier-General of the war.

It was a promotion that would last just two weeks.

On November 30, 1917, whilst about to lead an attack on the Hindenburg line, his headquarters near Lock 7 on the Canal du Nord was shelled. Shrapnel from this pierced his spine. Roland died instantly.

His 31-year-old elder brother George Nicholson Bradford, a Lt. Cmdr. in the Royal Navy, also won a V.C.(posthumously) at the Battle of Zeebrugge in Belgium on 23 April, 1918.

This made them the only set of brothers to win V.Cs during the war.

A second brother, James Barker Bradford of the Durham Light Infantry, won a Military Cross at Gammecourt in France in March 1917.

Two months later he was severely wounded at Arras. Aged 27, he died four days later on 14 May 1917.