Ruth was born on 10 July 1911 in Powerstock, Dorset. She came from a wealthy background and was sent to boarding school at the age of seven. Her only brother John, who was one year older, also attended the same school as a boarder. John failed all his subjects at Lincoln College except Religious Studies. Subsequently he joined the International Brigade and travelled to Spain to fight the Fascists. He was killed at the age of twenty-six in the Spanish Civil War.

Ruth, who also attended Lincoln College, did very well in her subjects. However, she was disillusioned with the condition of the world and some time later became a member of the Communist Party. She met her husband Tom, who was a very strong union leader, at one of his meetings where he spoke about the rights of workers.

Ruth and Tom married on 4 July 1938 at Doncaster Registry Office. Over the following years they had four children: Gillian, Michael, David and Jim. Ruth attended Durham University and obtained a degree in teaching. She worked as a teacher during some parts of her life and she also worked in factories. Ruth had a dream which seemed like a clear vision about her third child David. An old man came to her in the dream and told her that the baby would be born on 1 March and that she would call him David; all this actually happened.

After her fourth child, Jim, was born in Liverpool, it snowed continuously for the three months of the winter of 1947. Ruth decided to move south. Her husband Tom obtained work on Lord Poulett’s farm in Somerset and for some time they lived in the village of Combe St. Nicholas. This was home for three years in the beautiful countryside. Unfortunately Tom’s wages were not enough to feed and educate four children, so in March 1950 they sold their cottage and returned to live in Sheffield.

Tom worked for most of his life as a fitter and turner. He came from a working-class background and his father was a coal miner all his life. Sometime in 1959 Ruth joined a spiritual movement, Subud, which was started in Indonesia by a Muslim, Bapak Subud. Both Ruth and Tom had left the Communist Party when the Soviet Union decided to invade Hungary in 1956.

In November 1969 I (Ruth’s son Jim) became a member of the Bahá’í Faith and she noticed my very evident happiness. After reading some books on the Bahá’í Faith, she had confirmation in a dream that she would become a Bahá’í. In that dream she was riding in a bus and at the first bus stop were all her friends from Subud. However the bus did not stop there and drove on. At the next bus stop, the bus did pull up as normal. Waiting there were two Persian ladies, and when Ruth alighted from the bus, she knew the Bahá’í Faith was the next stop on her spiritual journey.

In 1972 she decided to pioneer for the Faith to Larne in Northern Ireland. Although her husband Tom was not a Bahá’í, he nevertheless was happy to accompany her. He suffered some ill health in Northern Ireland and after a few years they returned to Sheffield.

The year 1981 brought another historic decision in the life of Ruth Bradley as she asked me to sponsor herself and Tom, to enable them to emigrate to West Australia. Before moving permanently to Albany on the South Coast they had lived for two years in Bunbury. Ruth was one of the first pioneers to move to that area in 1983. She gave many years of dedicated, courageous service to the Faith and was always in the forefront of teaching; undeterred by weather conditions or lack of numbers she would courageously take part in various teaching projects. Ruth was a member of the first Spiritual Assembly of Albany formed in 1987. Tom had become a Humanist but was always supportive and enjoyed the social contact with Bahá’ís. As well as working hard for the Faith, Ruth took a great interest in gardening, particularly herbs, and in reading, knitting, embroidery and health issues. She was a vegetarian and then a vegan for most of her life.

In 1995 her son David arrived from England on a visit. During his stay of five weeks, he talked a great deal about her grandchildren and friends back home. Ruth decided that she could play a greater role as a grandmother and friend back in England. She packed two suitcases and returned on the same plane with David.

She was indeed a sad loss to the Albany Bahá’í Community. Her many years of dedicated service to the Faith were highly commendable. After returning to England, she lived in Sheffield for four years. In 1999 at the age of eighty-eight she courageously pioneered to a small town in Derbyshire, Dronfield, where she helped to form the first Spiritual Assembly.

Gradually, ailing in old age, she could no longer attend Bahá’í meetings and was confined to her council flat. Her daughter Gillian was a constant carer/helper for her daily needs.

It is with gratitude and humbleness that I offer this summary of her noble and wonderful life. This son honours her distinguishing characteristics of wisdom, determination, honesty, discipline, consideration, kindness, mental alertness, faithful correspondent, deep thinker, resilient generous spirit and exemplary pioneer.

Ruth left this earthly plane after suffering a severe stroke. Her soul illuminates the spiritual worlds. May God bless her precious soul. Her courageous efforts in teaching the Faith and serving the Cause of God will be forever cherished in our memories.

____________________

Jim Bradley

Australia, August 2020

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