William H. Bradley TZ/2198

William Henry Bradley was born on 20^th July 1895. When he entered the Royal Naval Division on 1^st December 1914 he was employed as a miner and living at Ashington, Northumberland.

William’s initial training was with the 3^rd Battalion at Crystal Palace before he was drafted to the 1^st Reserve Battalion at Blandford on 18^th March 1915. On 23^rd June he was appointed to the rank of Able Seaman and five days later was drafted to the Drake Battalion on the Gallipoli peninsula.

William was transferred to the Engineers on 20^th July for mining duties and on 8^th September was admitted to No. 1 Australian Stationary Hospital at Lemnos suffering from boils. He rejoined his unit on 5^th October. After the evacuation of the peninsula he was granted two weeks’ leave to Malta on 11^th March 1916.

Between 5^th and 9^th November William was admitted to hospital for an unspecified reason. On 15^th November he was admitted to the 7^th Canadian General Hospital at Étaples with a gunshot wound to his left arm, inflicted on 13^th. He was invalided back to England and admitted to the 4^th Northern General Hospital at Lincoln on 22^nd. To convalesce, he was drafted to the Command Depot on 23^rd April 1917.

On 12^th June William was with the 4^th Reserve Battalion at Blandford and was drafted to Nelson. Between 16^th and 18^th July he undertook escort duty to Whitley Bay. On 23^rd August he joined the Nelson Battalion in the field.

On 1^st January 1918 William was admitted to the 1^st Presbyterian U.S. General Hospital at Étretat, having received severe gunshot wounds to his legs and thighs during the action at Welsh Ridge on 30^th December. Invalided once more, he was admitted to the 1^st Scottish General Hospital at Aberdeen on 13^th January. On 26^th September he was surveyed at Aldershot and found to be unserviceable. He was discharged and invalided as of 24^th October.

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