A regular attender at Eton college chapel Bardsley left Eton in 1926 ... still a nominal adherent of the Lord but far from a committed follower...[3] At New College, Oxford, Bardsley read Modern Greats enlisting wholeheartedly in the activities of the Oxford Group, an evangelical grouping founded by Frank Buchman that called for a moral crusade into society.

Ultimately Bardsley distanced himself from Buchman but throughout his years as a pastor he retained an evangelical zeal to take the Christian message into all parts of society.

[3] As an Anglican ordinand Bardsley attended Westcott House, Cambridge, in 1930, where the principal was Bertram Cunningham, who has been described by Archbishop Donald Coggan as "a man who probably influenced the Church of England more than other teacher this (20th) century".

Whilst at Westcott House, Bardsley met Philip Clayton, known as 'Tubby', a renowned churchman and preacher who during the Great War had founded a retreat for soldiers at Poperinghe, Belgium that became famous as a sanctuary.

Initially Beardsley remained zealous in his support but as the 1930s progressed he began to harbour doubts about his involvement in the Oxford Group particularly after it became the Moral Re-Armament movement in 1938.

Bardsley concluded that the movement had strayed from its founding principles of Jesus as Saviour into a more general purpose on morality and shortly after ended his formal association.

[7] Bardsley returned to London in 1940 as vicar of St. Mary Magdalene Woolwich, where he was joined by his sister Dorothy who was to become his helper and companion for the next thirty two years.

Although the Woolwich church stayed open during the Blitz (indeed the crypt was a sanctuary) Bardsley organised Industrial Missions to take the Gospel to the factories and offices.

As the war concluded Bardsley was vocal in stating that now the war was over the Church needed to win the peace[3] As a consequence the Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher invited Bardsley's to undertake a pastoral visit to troops under the British Army of The Rhine where he visited thirty-three regiments, made numerous broadcasts, took part in several reconciliation events and partook in many services.

Bardsley realised that the Church needed to provide practical leadership if it was to remain relevant to many peoples' lives that had been disrupted by the War and the long period of austerity that followed.

[3] The huge workload that Bardsley undertook started to effect his health and after a visit to Kenya in 1952 he suffered a minor thrombosis necessitating a period in hospital and convalescence.

As in previous postings Bardsley sought at every opportunity to take the Gospel into Coventry's factories and offices, acquiring the affectionate sobriquet of The Works Padre.

As bishop he built up a network of representatives from all walks of life that included: politicians, trade union leaders, faith groups and educationalists.