Fred Bridgham

Colleagues will be sorry to learn of the sudden death, on 9 March 2026, of Dr Fred Bridgham.

Fred, a graduate of Belfast and Cambridge, joined the German Department at Leeds University in 1971 and taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level until his retirement over 30 years later. He was instrumental in setting up the MA in Anglo-German Cultural Relations. His publications include a monograph on Rilke (Rainer Maria Rilke: Urbild and Verzicht, 1975) and The Friendly German-English Dictionary (1996). He also edited, with his colleague Richard Byrn, the volume The First World War as a Clash of Cultures (2006). Fred’s research interests spanned Anglo-German relations, expressionist poetry, the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, the psychology of Sigmund Freud and the music of Richard Wagner.  All these passions were reflected in his teaching.

He was popular with students and colleagues, who appreciated his sense of humour, his deep knowledge and his generosity of spirit. His large house in Weetwood was a first stopping point for new colleagues and Lektorinnen and a centre for Departmental sociability.  He was well-known across the Faculty, a keen member of the University Tennis Club and a regular in the SCR, lunching and sharing ideas with colleagues. A fan of P. G. Wodehouse, Fred embraced idiosyncrasies and character in himself and others. He embraced anyone who put up, consciously or unconsciously, some resistance to the disease of uniformity.

Fred was slow to overcome his suspicion of new technology such as email and social media, preferring old school methods of teaching, communication and in-person conversation. He didn’t reject all forms of technology, though, and could often be seen driving his distinctive Porsche through Headingley.

After retiring, he produced numerous translations, including of works by Expressionist writers, such as Georg Kaiser and, most recently, of Carl Sternheim, Chronik von des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts Beginn (A Chronicle of the Early Twentieth Century, 2025).  Together with Edward Timms, he produced an award-winning translation of Karl Kraus, Die letzten Tage der Menschheit (The Last Days of Mankind, 2015). He enjoyed a rich musical life and translated Lieder and the libretto (written by Ingeborg Bachmann) of Hans Werner Wenze’s opera Der Prinz von Homburg for the English National Opera production in 1996.   

He was a kind and generous friend and colleague and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his wife Ileana, his son Otto and daughter Lotte.