On 1 January 1939 Bradford became Adjutant of 1st BW at a time when frantic preparations were starting as war seemed inevitable.

After Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 orders for General Mobilisation were received on 4th Sept. 1939 and on 5 October 1939 1st BW embarked for France aboard RMS Mona’s Queen (2,756 tons).

At that point Bradford, a 27 year-old Captain was effectively commanding HQ and two companies of 1st Bn Black Watch.

On 19 June 1940 Bradford made his escape near Billy-Berclau and, changing out of uniform into civilian clothes, walked towards the coast hoping to find a boat to take him across the English Channel.

He talked his way out of their hands and headed inland and then south towards the only place he knew, Chateau de Nanteuil (see above).

This journey involved numerous adventures including crossing the Somme, Seine and Loire rivers.

They gave him a clean shirt, some money, soap, a little food and a bicycle with a very dodgy front tyre.

Having crossed the Cher he was picked up and held by a French Army Unit at Chateauroux (10-12 July 1940) and then at the barracks of a Senegalese Bn.

Twice he crossed the high Pyrenees into Spain (4 & 8 August 1940) and twice he was arrested by the Spanish authorities and returned to France.

As part of this effort Bradford stowed away on a ship to Algiers (29 October 1940) in the vain attempt to establish a repatriation route via North Africa.

He did however later manage to move about and travelled to Oran and Tunis all the while sending home reports in a secret code within his correspondence to his parents who duly forwarded the information to MI9.

In June 1942 the Division sailed from ports in the Mersey, Severn and Clyde and after a 9-week voyage arrived in Egypt.

On D-Day he landed with the Americans at Omaha Beach and remained with Bradley until, on 26 July 1944 he took command of 5th Bn.

GSO1 HQ British Army of the Rhine 6th Feb. 1946; T/Lt.Col commanding 42 Primary Training Centre & Depot, The Black Watch, 5th Dec. 1946; Major 1st Jul.

[i] Bradford married Susan Vaughan-Lee, heiress of Kincardine Estate, on 30 October 1951 and they had four children, Robert (b.1952), Margaret (1953), Andrew (1955) and Ronald (1958).