Arthur Redvers George Bradford was born in the Somerset village of Winscombe on 16th September 1900. He was second of six children to George Bradford, who was a postman, and his wife, Louisa.

When he finished his schooling, Arthur found work as a carter. War was raging across Europe by this point, however, and he was evidently keen not to miss out on the excitement. On 18th September 1918, just two days after his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Stoker 2nd Class Bradford was noted as being 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for training, but his time there was to be tragically short.

Cramped barracks prove to be the perfect breeding ground for illness, and in early October 1918, influenza and pneumonia were rife. Around a dozen of Stoker Bradford’s colleagues died from the diseases in the time he was at the base, and, on 5th October 1918, he too was to succumb to them. He was just eighteen years old, and had been in the Royal Navy for just 17 days.

The body of Arthur Redvers George Bradford was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of St James the Great Church in his home village of Winscombe.

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