William Charles Bradley

A carte-de-visite portrait of William Charles Bradley (1850-1932), who for over twenty years was the pierhead keeper on the pier at Southend, a post he took up in 1870 when ‘a few months over twenty years of age and newly married.’ He is seen here wearing three of the five medals he received for lifesaving during his career.

An article of 1888 in a local newspaper gives an account of his life and accomplishments. ‘He was born in 1850, at Southend; his mother was a Scotchwoman, his father a Southender […] He cannot remember when he could not swim. […] Bradley’s life-saving record is nineteen lives in less than eighteen years, but this total does not include the eight persons brought off the “Hero” during the heavy gale of October, 1882, by Bradley and H. Going, and which obtained from the National Lifeboat Association their first somewhat miserable recognition of the former’s gallantry’ (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser, 19 July 1888). The article gives details of various occasions on which Bradley saved someone from a watery end. According to a subtitle at the head of the article, he was a ‘Silver and Bronze medallist of the Royal Humane Society’ [and a] ‘Silver medallist of the National Lifeboat Association.’

He died, aged 82, on 24 March 1932 at Gladstone House, Hartington Road, Southend. He left a surprisingly large estate valued at £43,944.

According to a brief obituary in the Belfast Telegraph (25 March 1932), ‘Alderman William Charles Bradley, of Southend, who died on Thursday, aged 81, was the town’s champion life-saver, having 27 rescues from drowning to his credit, all performed when he was the pierhead keeper between 1870 and 1891. He was the holder of five medals and five certificates for his bravery, together with several illuminated addresses given him by the townspeople.’

The 1891 census describes him as the ‘Light Keeper at Pier Head’ but the censuses of 1901 and 1911 described him as a ‘Builder,’ which perhaps explains the size of his estate. According to the latter record, he was also a ‘Town Councillor.’

Photographed by Jones and James of Southend.