James Roland Bainbridge

Lieutenant James Roland Bainbridge M.Sc. served in the Public Relations Service of the British Army during the Second World War. Known as Roland, he was born on 30th April 1891. Roland was the son of Edward Chapman Bainbridge and Frances Bainbridge (née White) of Ashton Under Lyme, Lancashire, England.

He attended Manchester University, Lancashire, England. From there, he graduated with a First Class Honours Master of Science Degree. After completing his education, he moved up to Lanarkshire, Scotland. North of the border, he worked as a Research Chemist for the Peat Development Corporation. Eventually, a global conflict brought him to Ireland.

During The Great War, Roland worked as an Assistant General Manager at Kynoch’s – a nitro-glycerine manufacturer in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Following the end of the war in 1918, Bainbridge moved north to work as a Research Chemist with the York Street Flax Spinning Co. Ltd. in Belfast. During this time, he married Catherine Margaret Robinson Millar, who died on 29th March 1940.

To historians and researchers, Lieutenant J.R. Bainbridge is best known for his photos of life in Ulster during the Second World War. He first took up Freelance Journalism and Photography during the economic slump of the 1920s. The first-ever pictures wired from Ulster across the Channel were from his home at Shandon Park, Belfast. Throughout the war years, he operated from a base in Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

Marriage to Kathleen Mary Burgoyne

On 1st September 1942, he married Kathleen Mary Burgoyne. She was the only daughter of Frank J.P. Burgoyne and Clara Campling Burgoyne of Benbradagh, Cherryvalley Park, Belfast. The quiet wedding ceremony took place at Knockbreda Parish Church, Belfast. Canon Louis W. Crooks M.A. conducted the service and Mr. J.L. Parkinson provided musical accompaniment on the organ. Major George King was Bainbridge’s Best Man.

Miss Burgoyne wore a blue two-piece suit trimmed with fox fur and matching hat and carried a bouquet of red roses. Miss Sibyl M.R. Bainbridge was her Bridesmaid. Following the ceremony, the couple celebrated with a small party at the Grand Central Hotel, Belfast.

The couple lived at Roland’s home at 26 Shandon Park, Belfast. There, they had a son Peter Bainbridge, and 2 daughters Sibyl Bainbridge and Helen Bainbridge. When not taking photos, Roland was a keen musician and found time to perform on his clarinet in B.B.C. Radio broadcasts.

James Roland Bainbridge M.Sc. died suddenly at a hospital in Northern Ireland on 14th August 1967 aged 76 years old. A funeral service took place on 16th August 1967. His grave is in Section E2, Grave 54 of Dundonald Cemetery, Dundonald, Co. Down.

Lieutenant Bainbridge’s photographs of wartime Northern Ireland are a wonderful source of information. They show a passion and a keen eye for detail that he would share with the family. Kathleen also became an amateur photographer in later life. In November 1967, following her husband’s death, she submitted a winning photograph to grace the cover of “Townswoman” magazine. Roland and Kathleen’s son Peter Bainbridge would also go on to be a renowned Press Photographer for the Belfast Telegraph. Today, the C.P.A. Camera Club based in Northern Ireland presents a “Roland Bainbridge Memorial Trophy” each year. The award is in the category of Irish Heritage.