The War Time

Shortly after the Bradley brothers departed for the war, things started to become bad for the Allies. British, French and Belgian troops were struggling hard to escape from the Germans who had them surrounded at the French port of Dunkirk. So privately owned ships sail from England to help the soldiers. By then, Nazis already occupied major parts of  Europe.

The WWII

Britain was under attack and with full force, the Nazis almost took over the country. In the summers of 1940, whole Britain saw the skies filled with bombing aircraft as the Battle of Britain began. But by the end of October, it was Britain who won the battle. However, Germany was furious and Germany Luftwaffe went on a bombing spree over Britain which went until May 1941. This raid resulted in the deaths of 44,000 civilians and left many cities in ashes.

The Bradleys’ House

The Bradley house was one of many families who were left devasted after the war. Howard Bradley, the only heir of the house, told in the interview with The Argus in 2018, “My grandmother even had to be rescued from under a pile of rubble after a [a German V1 rocket] hit the building she was in. Maybe it was part of a getaway plan.”

The Reason Behind The Money

Maybe the money was a backup plan and the family hid it because they thought of using it in the most crucial of the times. The money was their escape plan and the only way to make sure that their family and friends remained safe during and after the war.

The Bombing

Just like other textile farms, the Bradleys also had to find ways to keep up with the rationing of the clothes. During the bombing, Bradley’s hat making production facilities were destroyed. It is believed that it was Bernard Bradley who invented the guinea gown who also forgot to patent it. This all made very difficult for the company to survive.

Transformation Of The Bradleys

After Bernard Bradley’s death, the business saw a transformation, and this time it took a turn towards dry cleaning and repair. The dry cleaning shop is situated in the Milton Keynes some 115 miles from Brighton. It is run by Eric’s son, Howard Bradley.