- Sir Edward Bradford, 1st Baronet
Colonel Sir Edward Ridley Colborne Bradford, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCVO, KCSI, ADC (
27 July 1836 –13 May 1911 ) was aBritish Indian Army officer who later served asCommissioner of Police of the Metropolis , head of theLondon Metropolitan Police, from 1890 to 1903.Military career
Bradford was born in
Buckinghamshire , the son of W. M. K. Bradford, therector ofWest Meon ,Hampshire , and was educated from 1846 atMarlborough College . He was commissioned into the East India Company's2nd Madras Light Infantry (based atJalna ) in 1853, transferring to the6th Madras Cavalry (based atMhow ) on his promotion toLieutenant in 1855. He saw active service in Persia (1856–1857), attached to the 14th The King's Light Dragoons, and in the latter stages of theIndian Mutiny , where he served asadjutant of the left wing of hisregiment . In 1858, he transferred to Mayne's Irregular Cavalry (later the 1st Regiment ofCentral India Horse ), of which he becameSecond-in-Command on25 October 1858 . He distinguished himself in a number of actions, especially againstTantya Tope atCawnpore . In September 1860, with his health suffering from extended campaigning, he was ordered home toEngland to recuperate.In 1862, he returned to
India and was made Political Assistant in WestMalwa . On10 May 1863 , he was mauled by a tigress during a hunt near Guna and lost his left arm. He continued to ride in pigsticking, holding therein s between his teeth, but his active military career was over.Indian Civil Service
He remained in the Indian Army, but served as
Political Agent at successivelyJaipur ,Baghelkhand , Bharatpur andMewar . He was promotedCaptain in 1865 andMajor in 1873. In 1866, he married Elizabeth Adela Knight. In 1874, he was made General Superintendent of theThuggee and Dacoit Department , which effectively acted as the Viceroy'ssecret police . In March 1878, he was appointed Governor-General's Agent forRajputana andChief Commissioner ofAjmer , in charge of relations with theRajput princes, by whom he was respected and admired, not least because he had survived an encounter with a tiger! In private, however, he had no time for them, regarding them as lazy, vain, stupid and underhand. He was promotedLieutenant-Colonel in 1879 andColonel in 1884. In June 1885, he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Star of India (KCSI) for his services.In 1887, he returned to London as Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the
India Office , but the following year returned to India to conductPrince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence on a tour of the country, returning to England in 1889. He was made anAide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria (holding the post until 1893), and was offered the governorship ofCape Colony , but refused it.Commissioner of Police
In June 1890, Bradford was appointed to succeed
James Monro as Commissioner of Police. His immediate concern was to restore stability after the Black Monday and Bloody Sunday riots and the resignation of three Commissioners in the past two years. He was an ideal choice. His military background gave him authority and experience of command (although his personality was generally easy-going), while his experiences in India gave him knowledge of administration, criminal investigation and the workings of thecivil service . His years in control of the Met were generally peaceful and stable, with the police's standing in public opinion rising steadily. In 1899, crime in London fell to its lowest point in recorded history.Bradford successfully settled the police strike of 1890, days after he took up office, and resisted the efforts of the new
London County Council to take over his force from theHome Office . He visited every one of hispolice station s and talked and listened to his men, becoming the first Commissioner to do so. He varied the beats to ease the tedium of patrol duty and attempted to improve the educational standard of new recruits. He built more police stations and improved the quality of thesection house s, ensured that all stations were linked bytelegraph (although he disapproved of some other new technologies, such astelephone s andtypewriter s, and would not introduce them), extended the use ofbicycle s, encouraged sporting activities among his men, and introduced a lighter summer uniform.Bradford received many honours during his time as Commissioner. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) in 1890, Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (GCB) in 1897, and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1902, and became the first Commissioner to be created a
Baronet , on24 July 1902 . He retired on4 March 1903 .Later years
After his retirement, Bradford devoted much of his time to
fox hunting , an activity in which he indulged several days every week. He also chaired a committee to enquire into the wages of General Post Office employees. He served as an extraequerry to both Edward VII and George V.Bradford died suddenly at his home in
Westminster and was buried in the churchyard atChawton ,Hampshire , next to his first wife, who had died in 1896. He was survived by his second wife, Edith Mary Nicholson, whom he had married in 1898. By his first marriage, he had a daughter and three sons. His eldest son, Montagu Edward Bradford (1867–1890), died in India. His second son, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Evelyn Ridley Bradford (1869–1914) of theSeaforth Highlanders , succeeded to the baronetcy and was killed in action inFrance on14 September 1914 .References
*"The Times"
*"Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "
*Martin Fido & Keith Skinner, "The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard" (Virgin Books, London:1999)
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