 His older brother was Orlando Bridgeman, 5th Earl of Bradford.Bridgeman was educated at Harrow School and went then to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.In 1901, Bridgeman was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery as a second lieutenant and from 1905 served as aide-de-camp to Francis Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, at that time Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.