Thomas Bradford

General Sir Thomas Bradford GCB GCH (1 December 1777 – 28 November 1853) was a British Army officer.

This article is about the British military officer. For the American spiritualist suicide, see Thomas Lynn Bradford. For the American cartographer, see Thomas Gamaliel Bradford. For the mayor of Dallas, Texas, see Tom Bradford.

Sir Thomas Bradford
Sir Thomas Bradford
Born1 December 1777
Died28 November 1853 (1853-11-29) (aged 75)
Eaton Square, London
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1792–1853
RankGeneral
Commands held34th Regiment of Foot
82nd Regiment of Foot
10th Portuguese Brigade
3rd Division
6th Brigade AOOF
5th Brigade AOOF
Commander-in-Chief, Scotland
Bombay Army
Battles/wars
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
Army Gold Cross
Knight Commander of the Order of the Tower and the Sword (Portugal)
Cruz da Guerra Peninsular (Portugal)
Medalha De Distincao De Comando (Portugal)
RelationsSir Henry Bradford (brother)

Military career

Bradford was commissioned as an ensign in the 4th (The King's Own) Regiment of Foot in October 1793 without purchase[1][2] He took part in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the Buenos Aires Expedition of 1806 as well as the battle of Vimeiro in 1808, battle of Corunna in 1809 and battle of Salamanca in 1812 during the Peninsular War.[1] He commanded a Portuguese division at the Battle of Vitoria, the Battle of San Sebastian and the Battle of the Nive, all in 1813.[1] For his service in the Peninsular he was awarded the Gold Medal with one clasp.[2][3]

He became general officer commanding the 7th Division of the Army of Occupation in France in 1815, Commander-in-Chief, Scotland in 1819 and Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army from 1825 to 1829.[1] He was promoted to full general on 23 November 1841.[4]

He was then colonel of the 94th Regiment of Foot (1823–29) and, after returning to England, colonel of the 30th Regiment of Foot (1829–46).[5]

He exchanged the colonelcy of the 38th Foot for that of the 4th (The King's Own) Regiment of Foot in 1846, a position he held until his death in 1853.[4]

Family

He married Mary, the daughter of James Atkinson of Newcastle. His eldest son, James Henry Hollis Bradford, later changed his surname to Atkinson in compliance with the will of one Ralph Atkinson.[6] His brother, Lieutenant-colonel Sir Henry Hollis Bradford, was also a distinguished soldier wounded at Waterloo.[7]

References
  1. National Army Museum
  2. "West Riding Militia". Doncaster Gazette. 29 April 1870. Retrieved 29 October 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. Challis, L. S. (1949). "British Officers Serving in the Portuguese Army, 1809-1814". Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. 27 (110): 50–60. JSTOR 44232163.
  4. "General Sir Thomas Bradford GCB GCH". King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  5. Gilbert Shepperd, The Connaught Rangers, p. 23
  6. The Gentleman's Magazine. W. Pickering. 1840. p. 425.
  7. Dalton 1904, p. 35 & 97.

Sources
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