9/15 Lieutenant Guy Clive Bridgeman, MC, (5/11/1893-14/11/1918). "an exceptionally plucky young officer"

Mr F. O. Bridgeman has been advised by cable that his son, Sergeant Guy Bridgeman, of the New Zealand Artillery, has received a commission on the field "somewhere in France." Lieutenant Bridgeman left New Zealand with the Main Body as a corporal in the 5th Otago Mounted Rifles.  -Otago Witness, 20/9/1916.

MC. London Gazette, 1 January 1918, p53, Rec No 1248: February 26th to September 20th 1917. An exceptionally plucky young officer. He has done very good work as Forward Observation Officer at different times. He was F.O.O for his battery at Messines and established an Observation Post well forward when the infantry reached their final objective. During a counter attack the enemy put down a barrage which wounded one of his two telephonists, and, under fire, 2nd Lieutenant Bridgeman dressed the mans wounds and carried him back to a dressing station. 

The following paragraph, from the NZ Field Artillery's Official History, gives an idea of the circumstances in which he was severely wounded, by a shell fragment passing through his upper body causing, among other things, bleeding into his lung.

On September 2nd the Brigade went into action again under the 42nd Divisional Artillery at Nieuport Bains, but five days later came under the orders of the 32nd Divisional Artillery, and as the projected operations had been cancelled offensive shooting was reduced to normal limits. The enemy, however, was apparently still fearful of some offensive action on the part of the British forces, and kept his guns aggressively active. Brigade Headquarters and battery positions were shelled both day and night, and on fine nights the congested camps and waggon lines in the back areas were bombed. Emplacements were destroyed and guns damaged, and on one occasion an eleven inch shell demolished the headquarters mess — fortunately unoccupied at the moment. Even some time after the fire of the brigade had been reduced to moderate limits the enemy fiercely retaliated in response to anything that suggested a departure from the normal; and his observing aircraft were always active when conditions permitted. Casualties in the brigade during the month totalled thirty-three.

Second Lieutenant Guy Clive Bridgeman, M.C., is the third son of Mr F. O. Bridgeman, of Dunedin. He was born in this city, educated at Selwyn College, and after leaving that institution was on Mr H. Buckland's sheep station at Kiatoa, near Waikouaiti. He volunteered in the first week of the war, and went with, the Otago Mounted Rifles in the main body. At Gallipoli he was shot through both lungs, but recovered, and proceeded to France, where he was transferred to the New Zealand Artillery, and obtained his commission on the field. On September 29 he was very severely wounded in France. He made light of these wounds in his message to his family, but a cablegram was received from him on Wednesday stating that he would be leaving for New Zealand this month.  -Otago Daily Times, 5/1/1918.

Guy Bridgeman was not happy to be out of the war. He made several applications to return, stating that an ongoing stiffness of his left shoulder, caused by his wound, did not prevent him from being an effective Officer in the Artillery.  

INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC

A Melbourne cable states that there have been ten deaths from influenza since quarantine was instituted there. 

The death announced at Featherston Camp, of Lieutenant Guy Bridgeman, M.C., third son of Mr F O. Bridgeman of this city. The deceased soldier joined the main body as a trooper in the Otago Mounted Rifles, and went to Egypt. He first saw service against the Turks at the Suez Canal. He afterwards went to Gallipoli, where he was promoted to sergeant. After several months' service there he was badly wounded, being shot through the lungs by a sniper. He was invalided to Malta, and after his recovery he joined the New Zealand Field Artillery in France and there won his commission on the field He went through many of the big engagements — notably Passchendaele and Messines — and was awarded the Military Cross for brilliant work as an observation officer. He was again severely wounded, this time by a shell bursting on a German "pill-box," which he had entered to search. As a result, he returned invalided to New Zealand, and although not completely fit he joined up with a reinforcement draft. Unfortunately he was seized with influenza at Featherston, and succumbed to the illness on Thursday. At the time of his death he was acting-captain, and was under orders to leave with the 46th Reinforcements in command of the Artillery detail.  -Evening Star, 16/11/1918.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.