John Bridger was born in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire in 1917, the son of Doctor Robert Daniel and Dorothy Noel Aylwin Bridger. He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet on 1 May 1935 and served in the cruiser HMS FROBISHER. He was promoted Midshipman on 1 January 1936 and appointed to the battleship HMS NELSON on the same date and to the battleship HMS MALAYA on 8 June 1937. Promotion to Sub Lieutenant followed on 16 September 1938 and he was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course‘ on 24 April 1939.

He was appointed to HMS OBERON as Third Hand in August 1939. Promotion to Lieutenant followed on 16 October 1939. He then joined HMS PERSEUS as First Lieutenant on 11 September 1940 and, then was appointed to HMS REGENT as First Lieutenant on 8 May 1941. During his time as First Lieutenant, REGENT carried out a number of patrols and several gun and torpedo attacks were made. John Bridger left REGENT with an appointment to the Commanding Officers Qualifying Course on 1 April 1942 and was then appointed to HMS H28 in command on 11 June 1942 and HMS L23 in command on 22 July 1942.

An appointment to HMS VANDAL in command followed on 28 November 1942. VANDAL left the Holy Loch on the Clyde on 22 February 1943 for exercises in the Firth of Clyde. VANDAL failed to return as expected on 24 February 1943. The cause of the loss of VANDAL is unknown and the submarine was declared as lost with all hands.

John Bridger of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 72 Column 3.