Geoffrey Bridgeman
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Hon. Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman MC
(3 July 1898 – 15 October 1974), styled The Honourable from 1929, was a British
soldier and ophthalmologist.
in London, Bridgeman was the second son of William Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman. His mother Caroline was the daughter of Cecil Thomas Parker, younger son Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield
. Bridgeman's younger brother Maurice
was a businessman and civil servant. He was educated in Eton College
and went then to Trinity College, Cambridge
. From 1917 he fought in the First World War, being commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery
. In 1918 he was decorated with the Military Cross
and after the end of the war retired as lieutenant. He resumed his studies in Cambridge and after winning a classical exhibition, Bridgeman read natural sciences and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in 1920. Six years later at St George's Hospital
he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and in 1928 he received further a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery.
and then as ophthalmic surgeon at East Ham Memorial Hospital. Subsequently he returned to St George's and became employed at the Western Ophthalmic Hospital. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps
and gained the rank of brigadier. Bridgeman was attached to the Middle East
and came afterwards to India
. He was an honorary consultant ophthalmologist at the India and Burma Office and was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
in 1933. Bridgeman held membership of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom and of the British Medical Association
.
Mary died in 1961 and Bridgeman survived her until 1974. His son Robin
succeeded his uncle Robert Bridgeman, 2nd Viscount Bridgeman
in his title in 1982. His maternal granddaughter is actress Flora Montgomery
.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Hon. Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(3 July 1898 – 15 October 1974), styled The Honourable from 1929, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier and ophthalmologist.
Background and education
Born at Harley StreetHarley Street
Harley Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England which has been noted since the 19th century for its large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery.- Overview :...
in London, Bridgeman was the second son of William Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman. His mother Caroline was the daughter of Cecil Thomas Parker, younger son Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Augustus Wolstenholme Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield was a British peer. Before inheriting the earldom, he sat in the House of Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1837 until 1841....
. Bridgeman's younger brother Maurice
Maurice Bridgeman
Sir Maurice Richard Bridgeman KBE was a British businessman and civil servant.The third son of the 1st Viscount Bridgeman and Caroline Bridgeman, and younger brother of the 2nd Viscount, he was educated at Eton College, Berkshire and at Trinity College, Cambridge.In 1939, Bridgeman was petroleum...
was a businessman and civil servant. He was educated in Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and went then to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. From 1917 he fought in the First World War, being commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
. In 1918 he was decorated with the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and after the end of the war retired as lieutenant. He resumed his studies in Cambridge and after winning a classical exhibition, Bridgeman read natural sciences and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1920. Six years later at St George's Hospital
St George's Hospital
Founded in 1733, St George’s Hospital is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. It shares its main hospital site in Tooting, England with the St George's, University of London which trains NHS staff and carries out advanced medical research....
he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and in 1928 he received further a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery.
Career
Bridgeman worked first as chief clinical assistant at Moorfields Eye HospitalMoorfields Eye Hospital
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS eye hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest and largest eye hospital in the world and is internationally renowned for its comprehensive clinical and research activities...
and then as ophthalmic surgeon at East Ham Memorial Hospital. Subsequently he returned to St George's and became employed at the Western Ophthalmic Hospital. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
and gained the rank of brigadier. Bridgeman was attached to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and came afterwards to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was an honorary consultant ophthalmologist at the India and Burma Office and was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1933. Bridgeman held membership of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom and of the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
.
Family
On 3 July 1929, Bridgeman married Mary Meriel Gertrude Talbot (18 January 1903 - 5 July 1974), daughter of the Rt. Hon. Sir George John Talbot and Gertrude Harriot Cator. The couple had three children, one son and two daughters:- Robin John Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount BridgemanRobin Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount BridgemanRobin John Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount Bridgeman CA is a British peer and politician.The son of Brigadier Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman and Mary Meriel Gertrude Talbot, and grandson of the 1st Viscount Bridgeman was educated at Eton College, Berkshire...
(b. 5 December 1930) - Helena Mary Bridgeman (b. 2 November 1932), married firstly on 18 July 1953 and divorced in 1963 The Hon. Paul Asquith (4 January 1927 - 1984), son of Cyril Asquith, Baron Asquith of BishopstoneCyril Asquith, Baron Asquith of BishopstoneCyril Asquith, Baron Asquith of Bishopstone PC, QC was an English barrister, judge and law lord.Cyril Asquith was the fourth son of H. H. Asquith, later Prime Minister and subsequently Earl of Oxford and Asquith, from his first marriage, to Helen Kelsall Melland.He was educated at Winchester...
and Anne Stephanie Pollock, and married secondly James Francis Leslie Bayley, son of Thomas Eliot Bayley of EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, MidlothianMidlothianMidlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, on 15 July 1963, living in 2003 at Wassall House, RolvendenRolvendenRolvenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A28 Ashford to Hastings road, south-west of Tenterden.The settlement of Rolvenden Layne, south of Rolvenden, is also in the parish.-History:...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... - Daphne Bridgeman (b. 9 April 1940), married on 4 December 1965 as his second wife William Howard Clive Montgomery of Rosemount House and of Greyabbey, son of Major Hugh Edward Montgomery of Greyabbey, County Down, Deputy LieutenantDeputy LieutenantIn the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(D.L.), living in 2003 at GreyabbeyGreyabbeyGreyabbey or Grey Abbey is a small village and townland located on the eastern shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies south of Newtownards. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,011 people...
, NewtownardsNewtownardsNewtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
, County DownCounty Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
Mary died in 1961 and Bridgeman survived her until 1974. His son Robin
Robin Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount Bridgeman
Robin John Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount Bridgeman CA is a British peer and politician.The son of Brigadier Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman and Mary Meriel Gertrude Talbot, and grandson of the 1st Viscount Bridgeman was educated at Eton College, Berkshire...
succeeded his uncle Robert Bridgeman, 2nd Viscount Bridgeman
Robert Bridgeman, 2nd Viscount Bridgeman
Major-General Robert Clive Bridgeman, 2nd Viscount Bridgeman KBE, CB, DSO, MC, JP , styled The Honourable between 1929 and 1935, was a British peer and soldier.-Background:...
in his title in 1982. His maternal granddaughter is actress Flora Montgomery
Flora Montgomery
Flora Anne Selina Montgomery is a Northern Irish actress.-Early life and family:She was born at her family's ancestral home in Greyabbey, Newtownards, Ards, County Down, Ulster, Northern Ireland, and educated at Rockport School, daughter of William Howard Clive Montgomery of Rosemount House and of...
.