Page 211 - The Bugle 2018

The extended family of the Bradfords take the opportunity of a photo call
Commemoration of the gallantry of Lt Cdr George Bradford VC - 23 April 1918
A commemoration of the gallantry of Lt Cdr George Nicholson Bradford and the award of his Victoria Cross took place in the village of his birth, Witton Park, on Saturday 21 April 2018. During the ceremony the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon, unveiled a commemorative paving stone next to that of his brother Roland in the village Memorial Park, accompanied by senior Royal Naval personnel, representatives of the DLI Associ- ation, North East service-men & women, veterans, councillors and officials from Durham County Council and residents of the village, and members of the Bradford family who also placed wreaths. The dedication was conducted by the Chaplain to the Durham Light Infantry Association the Revd Kenneth Crawford and the Naval Chaplain to HMS Calliope Father Geoffrey Driver, to commemorate the gallantry of George Bradford who took part of the Royal Navy raid on the Belgian coast off Zeebrugge, Belgium,
on 23 April 1918, designed to block the entrance to the Bruges Canal. George was in command of the storming parties on HMS Iris II. This ship fitted with a derrick carrying a large parapet anchor was surging up and down and crashing onto the Mole in a dangerous manner because of the sea conditions. George’s colleague, Lt Hawkings, had just been killed trying to place scaling ladders on the mole. George took hold of the parapet anchor, climbed the derrick and jumped onto the mole carrying the anchor which he placed in position. At this point he was riddled with bullets from enemy machine-gun fire and fell into the sea. Lt Cdr Bradford’s action was one of total self-sacrifice as without a moment’s hesitation he went to certain death, recognising that in his action lay the only way in which the ship could be secured to allow the storming parties to land. For his action George was awarded the Victoria Cross which was presented to his mother by King George V in April 1919. It was her third visit to Buckingham Palace to receive medals to her three dead sons.
LT CDR BRADFORD’S ACTION WAS ONE OF TOTAL SELF- SACRIFICE AS WITHOUT A MOMENT’S HESITATION HE WENT
TO CERTAIN DEATH
Commemoration of the gallantry of Lt George Burdon Mckean VC
Lt George Burdon McKean VC was born in Willington, Co Durham in 1888 and emigrated to Canada as a teenager in 1902 and went on to become one of only five men in the First World War to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the Military Cross (MC) and the Military Medal (MM). On Saturday 28 April a short service was held at Willington War Memorial before a parade along the town’s High Street to the library where a stone commemorating his heroic bravery and dash on the night of 27/28 April 1918 was unveiled.
Despite having a mountain named after him in Canada and a market square in France, little was known about him in Willington. He was turned down for the Canadian Expeditionary Force three times before finally being allowed to enlist in 1915. After the War Lt McKean returned to England where he was tragically killed in an industrial accident aged just 38. Among the dignitaries to attend the service of dedication was the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon, NW Durham MP Laura Pidcock, Durham County Council Chairman Bill Kellett, Lt Col John Shone (CO of Montreal Regiment) and Maj Timothy Button of the Canadian Defence Liaison Team. Lt McKean’s great-granddaughter Sophie Harris-Evans, 39, a former Intelligence Corps sergeant from Portsmouth also laid a wreath. She was joined by family members from the County Durham Area. Buglers of the Rifles sounded the Last Post and Reveille. In recent weeks schoolchildren in Willington have been learning about Lt McKean under the direction of the Education Staff and DLI volunteers from the DLI Collection at Seven Hills in Spennymoor.
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