The Story of the Bradford War Portraits

The Story of the Bradford War Portraits

As a child, a visit to my great-grandparent's home at Utopia, Charlotte Co., meant that I would get glimpse of those "old war portraits" hanging on the wall leading to the upstairs of their small yet cozy home. All that I knew was that those men were Grampy's brothers and that some never survived the Great War. When asked about them, he would point them out, saying their names followed by a brief pause… no doubt reflecting on Martin and Eric's young lives lost. I fondly recall one time staying overnight in the upstairs bedroom and starring down at those old black and white portraits. "What was their story?" Gramp stirred my imagine with family stories and it is because of him that I took to making genealogy near full time occupation. My grandparents passed away in 1991 but left not only wonderful family memories but countless descendants who would miss them. Over the following decade and during the course of my research on the Bradford family, I obtain the Bradford men's war records and started to put together the story on those brave soldiers. I knew I had to track down the photos in order to help tell their story.

In 2007, I was focused on relocated the "old war portraits". A couple photos remained with Gramp's son, my great-uncle, Donnie Bradford, at Utopia. A short time later, I located the portrait of Winnie, all sharp in his Kilties uniform, on the living room wall of his granddaughter's (Trudy Bradford-Maillet) home in Pennfield. Donnie rang up several of Harold's grandson in Oak Bay and soon I had Harold and Margaret's wedding portrait to add to the set. With all the photos preciously packed in my car, I took the set to the Provincial Archives in Fredericton. These true "family treasures" were scanned in a state-of-the-art digital scanning machine, one that was capable of scanning portraits such as those typical "oval, bubbles" portraits. Even with the delicate, professional hands of the Technicians, I have to admit, I was still nervous when the photos were careful removed from their frames, a place they likely rested for decades. The portraits were all returned safe and sound but now our family has digital images on record at the Provincial Archives, for all to see and share (File P-638, Bradford War Photos). In the end, a big thank you to those that entrusted me with these family treasures and allow them to be preserved for future generations.

The six portraits prior to being digitally scanned at the Provincial Archives, 2007.

Professionally combined wall photo (courtesy of Applebys, Saint John). This photo hangs in my home office!

Back To The Bradford Brothers of the First World War

References: 1) Personal War Records/Individual Records of Pte. Harold Lister Bradford (# 742701), Pte. Martin Benjamin Bradford (#742702), Pte. Eric Allison Bradford (#743041), Pte. Winfield Walter Bradford (#1030239); Library and Archives of Canada. 2) Canadian Military Heritage; Department of National Defence (http://www.cmhg-phmc.gc.ca/) 3) New Brunswick's "Fighting 26th" A History of The 26th New Brunswick Battalion, C.E.F. MacGowan, Heckbert & O'Leary; 1995, Tribune Press; ISBN: 1896270026 4) At The Sharp End: Canadians Fighting The Great War 1914-1916. Cook, Tim; 2007, Viking Canada; ISBN: 0670067342. 5) Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group (http://cefresearch.ca/) 6) Commonwealth War Grave Commission 7) Canadian Census - Library and Archives of Canada 8)Saint Croix Courier, newspaper - St. Stephen, NB. 9) Fundy Fisherman, newspaper - Blacks Harbour, NB.

Special Thanks: Donald "Donnie" Bradford Jr.; the family of Winnie Bradford, special mention to Trudy (Bradford) Maillet; the family of Harold Bradford; the staff at the St. Croix Public Library (St. Stephen); Fred Farrell at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick; my mother, Brenda (McGarrigle) Gaudet, for proof reading; mMy great-grandfather, Donald Bradford Sr., who sparked my interest in family history principally with the stories of his brothers in the First World War. On each visit to my great-grandparent's home at Utopia, I would glance at those old photos of the "soldiers" on the walls leading upstairs. One day I want to learn their story