General Bridges Grave, Canberra, Australia - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

The memorial was designed in 1916 by Walter Burley Griffin and was completed in 1920.

Bridges is one of only two Australian World War I soldiers killed in action or died of wounds who was buried in Australia. The other is The Unknown Soldier, disinterred from a French grave and buried at the Australian War Memorial in 1991.

The Memorial Grave is set in natural bushland, next to General Bridges Drive, which separates Duntroon from the Australian Defence Force Academy complex to the north.

The design for the grave is simple and dignified. The grave comprises a low, polished granite slab with a two tier base of rock faced granite with a bronze sword set on the top of the slab. The Memorial Grave is set in a large gravelled area, defined by a simple metal fence and overlooking the Royal Military Academy. The entrance to the grave is defined by two stone pillars of similar detail to the grave. The formality and military nature of the grave are further expressed in four symmetrically placed trees (a Cupressus species) drawing parallels with the contemplative aspects of War Memorials erected after the First World War, some of which featured groves of pines.

Description: Sir William Throsby Bridges (1861-1915) was born at Greenock, Scotland and was educated at Ryde, Isle of Wight and, from 1871, at the Royal Naval School, New Cross, London. When his family migrated to Canada he continued his education at Trinity College School, Port Hope. In 1877 he entered the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, but became the Kingston cadet discharged for academic failure when he attempted to follow his parents to Australia, where he arrived in 1879. With the outbreak of the South African War, Bridges was selected for special service with the British Army. Bridge's career was advanced in March 1902 when he became Assistant Quartermaster General, which gave him responsibility for military intelligence, the formulation of defence schemes and organisation of the forces. Bridges was promoted Colonel in October 1906 and was known for his attempts to improve efficiency in the army. Bridges chose the site of Australia's first military college and served at RMC Duntroon from 1910. He was shot by a sniper on the morning of 1 May 1915 and died enroute to Egypt. Date of birth: 02/18/1861 Date of death: 05/18/1915 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link] Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   08/04/2015 Rapidlywild visited it 07/07/2011 2BluFish visited it 11/17/2009 Everlasting visited it 09/26/2008 mtbikeroz visited it 06/04/2008 Pensive Travellers visited it

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