Miss Philippa Beatrice Bridges
Philippa Beatrice Bridges was born circa 1876 in Greeknock, Scotland, to Major T. W. Bridges, R.A., and Mary A. Bridges. She grew up in Bristol and Cornwall with her seven siblings, Guy, Emma, Mary, Ada, Edward, George, and Georgina. Bridges never married.
In Febrary 1912, Bridges joined the Society of Women Journalists. She published short fiction in Cornhill Magazine and Blackwood's Magazine, as well as a novel, The Green Wave of Destiny (1911). Her book A Walk-About in Australia (1925) recounted her 1923 trek across Australia, during which she travelled 650 miles by camel to regions rarely visited by outsiders. In her narrative, Bridges describes encounters with local inhabitants and her fascination with their customs. The book included a foreword by her brother, Lieutenant-General Sir Tom Bridges, who was serving as the Governor of South Australia at the time. Bridges was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Bridges died on February 18, 1930, at the age of 54.
References:
“Census of England and Wales, 1881.” Ancestry, 1997-2026. http://www.ancestry.com.
“England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.” Ancestry, 1997-2026. http://www.ancestry.com.
"England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Adminstrations), 1858-1955." Ancestry, 1997-2026. http://www.ancestry.com.
“Miss Philippa Bridges.” Times, February 20, 1930, p. 16.
“News in Brief.” Times, October 28, 1924, p. 11.
“A Traveller in the Bush.” Times Literary Supplement, No. 1249, December 24, 1925, p. 893.