Gnr. Francis Henry Bradley
British Army 57th Field Regiment, 225th Battery Royal Artillery
from:Knutsford
Francis Bradley was called up on 14th of July 1941 and was discharged on the 2nd April 1946. He held the rank of Gunner. His unit was part of the 44th Home Counties Division which departed for Egypt on the 29th of May 1942 and was at sea travelling to Egypt via the Cape of Good Hope until disembarking at Suez on 23rd of July 1942. The Division was under the command of Major General T.P. Hughes. The Division was given time to acclimatise by General Auchinleck but by the 18th August 1942 was positioned on the ridge at Alam el Halfa in the El Alamein sector.
Gunner Bradley received a 3 months leave pass when he was stationed in Bari, Italy valid from the 8th of July 1945. He also received a movement order when he was in Gradisca, Italy on the 16th of December 1945. His family also have a copy of a letter Gunner Bradley received to adjust his pay and rank. This also contains the names other soldiers, Riderson J S, Rawdon H P, King T I, Hume J M, Kellit?, Watkins O I, Taylor R S, White J, Dyke R A, Belford R, Crombie P F, Jones I T, Chessman H, Borley S G, Fowler G, Harrison D, Hazelgrove C P, Macdonald R J, Burns L, Shergold P P and Richardson J. Gunner Bradley also had a letter from someone in his Regiment named W Crawley
In April 1951 he received a letter from R A Records Office, Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent asking him, as a reservist to fill in a form which asked for his employer's name and what his job was. The letter went on to say that this information was required in case there was an emergency and if it wasn't forthcoming he would be regarded as available for service. He obviously didn't fill the form because it is still in the possession of his family.
