Cpl
Hugh Decimus Bridge
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 02/01/1890 |
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Place of birth: Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Clerk |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: 24332 |
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Enlistment date: 03/04/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Units: — New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 25/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Jubilee Croft, Beselare, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 27 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: XII Row: A Grave: 9 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Corporal Bridge was part of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade. He enlisted in April 1916. He joined his unit in the field in June 1917. Hugh was appointed Lance Corporal in July, temporary Corporal in July and offical Corporal on 13th November.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood area, after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 15th of November, the 1st and 4th Battalions proceeded into the front line at Reutel. The 3rd Battalion moved into support behind them. Headquarters of the front-line battalions were located in German tunnels beneath the Butte in Polygon Wood. The artificial hill was a prominent landmark in the barren landscape and it was frequently subjected to shellfire. On the night of 19/20 November Hugh’s battalion moved into the front line at Reutel. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned.
On the night of 26th November the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were relieved by 1st Wellington and 3rd Otago. Hugh, 27, was killed on 25 November 1917, while his Battalion was holding the line near Reutel. Hugh was buried near Jubilee Croft (J.10.b.90.90.). His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood. The casualties of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade for November 1917 were 41 killed and 105 wounded.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood area, after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 15th of November, the 1st and 4th Battalions proceeded into the front line at Reutel. The 3rd Battalion moved into support behind them. Headquarters of the front-line battalions were located in German tunnels beneath the Butte in Polygon Wood. The artificial hill was a prominent landmark in the barren landscape and it was frequently subjected to shellfire. On the night of 19/20 November Hugh’s battalion moved into the front line at Reutel. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned.
On the night of 26th November the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were relieved by 1st Wellington and 3rd Otago. Hugh, 27, was killed on 25 November 1917, while his Battalion was holding the line near Reutel. Hugh was buried near Jubilee Croft (J.10.b.90.90.). His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood. The casualties of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade for November 1917 were 41 killed and 105 wounded.
Sources 6
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Auckland Cenotaph https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C1602?n=24332&ordinal=2&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch Sources used |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/480129/bridge,-hugh-decimus/ Sources used |
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NZEF-Project https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=27828 Sources used |
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Service Record https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/FullItem.do Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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W.S. Austin. The official history of the NZ Rifle Brigade East-Sussex: (The Earl of Liverpool's Own).The Naval & Military Press Ltd., 2007, pp 251-255 Sources used |