Appearance

Mentality

Personal history

Early Life

Bainbridge was born to then Captain Cuthbert James Absalom Bainbridge (1856-1922) and Catherine Mary Ada Bainbridge (née Farquhar-Smythe, 1862-1926) in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. His father, a captain in the 3rd Dragoon Guards in Muttra, Uttar Pradesh, was assigned as ADC to the member for the military in the Viceroy's Executive Council. His mother was active in the British community, in particular the local amateur dramatics society. In 1892, just before the society closed, his mother was cast as Cassilda in a production of The King In Yellow, though the production was cancelled before rehearsals began after the director was taken suddenly ill.
 
In 1893 his father was posted to Natal, and the young Dennis enrolled in Hilton College. The family moved to England two years later when the 3DG posted to Woolwich, and again to York in 1897. When the regiment was posted to Dundalk in Ireland, Bainbridge was enrolled in the Reading School, Berkshire, a boarding school. He remained there through his father's subsequent deployments to South Africa (2nd Boer War, 1901-1902) and Ireland (1903-1906), leaving in 1904 to study for a BA in Law at Cambridge.
 
His family moved to Aldershot in 1907 with the regiment, and Bainbridge completed his LL.B. in 1908.

Military Career

Bainbridge joined the Royal Military College at Sandhurst that autumn, commissioning into the 3rd Dragoon Guards as a legacy entrant in early 1909. In 1911, as a young lieutenant, he served in a minor functionary capacity at the coronation of King George V, and commanded a company during the garrison posting to Cairo (1912-1913).
 
He served the regiment with some moderate distinction during the Great War, as 2IC of B sqn at Frezenberg, Loos, Arras and Scarpe. He was promoted to major in 1919, receiving command of B sqn in time for the posting to Curragh in Ireland.
 
In 1921, the 3rd Dragoon Guards were posted to Sialkot in India, and amalgamated with the 6th in 1922 to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards. The new regiment was returned to Colchester in England in 1925, and a year later then Major Bainbridge was detached on provost duties to the newly formed Corps of Military Police. He deployed with them to Shanghai; brevetted to lieutenant colonel, he served as Assistant Provost Marshal with the Shanghai Defence Force. On his return to England in December 1927 his rank was made substantive, and he took up a staff posting under Provost Marshal Col C V Edwards.

Personal Life

Bainbridge married Clara Elizabeth Balfour (born 1891) at St James Without-The-Priory-Gate Church in Southwick on the 11th of July 1914. They have two children; Florence Harriet (born 1916) and Francis Charles Thomas (born 1919). They live in Ewshot, near Aldershot.
 
His batman since 1916 has been Sgt Jabulani Mkhize, the son of a local guide to his father.

Personality

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