Bridge, John

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Date of birth:: February 5th, 1915 (Culcheth/Lancashire, Great Britain)
Date of death:: December 14th, 2006 (Sunderland/Tyne and Wear, Great Britain)
Nationality:: British

Biography

Another episode in his varied bomb disposal jobs was on the bridge at Nijmegen on 29th September 1944. He was summoned from Antwerp by General Horrocks to disarm two bombs on a support of Nijmegen's road bridge left there by the German swimmers.

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George Medal

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Probationary Temporary Sub-Lieutenant
Unit:: Bomb Disposal, Royal Navy
Awarded on:: December 27th, 1940

Bridge led a squad which defused a bomb with a delayed action fuse in September 1940, at Devonport (Devon).

King's/Queen's Commendation for brave conduct

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Lieutenant
Unit:: Bomb Disposal, Royal Navy
Awarded on:: January 27th, 1941

In March 1941, he defused 15 bombs, including a bomb which had fallen in the Naval dockyard at HMNB Devonport.

George Medal

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Temporary Lieutenant
Unit:: Bomb Disposal, Royal Navy
Awarded on:: October 28th, 1941

Awarded for bomb disposal work at Graving Docks, Falmouth, Cornwell.

Second GM awarded as a bar for on the ribbon of the first GM.

George Cross

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Temporary Lieutenant
Unit:: Bomb Disposal, Royal Navy
Awarded on:: June 20th, 1944

Circumstances of Bridge’s George Cross:

By August 1943 the Allies were in Messina at the foot of Italy. The harbour had be left by the enemy littered with depth charges and other ordnance all designed to hinder the use of the harbour by the Allies.

Initially a pattern of six charges went off killing the whole bomb disposal team. Bridge fully aware of this and the danger took command of the clearance of the remainder of the devices. This task took more than 28 dives to locate and render the remaining devices safe before the actual Allied landing of mainland Italy.

Bridge and his team dismantled and or made safe over 200 devices in the harbour and were able to give the all clear in time for the mass landings of Allied troops.