James William Aldridge

James was born in Adelaide on 15^th April 1888, the youngest of eight children.   He was the son of James Henry Aldridge, a noted breeder of high class blood horses.  His stud farm was famous throughout Australia.

After winning a piglet for a shilling at a bazaar as a school boy, he fattened it up, and then resold it for a £7 profit.   From that time he decided to become a stud pig breeder. After school he studied at Roseworthy College for two years.  At age 19 he took up land on Kangaroo Island.  After two years he went to Loxton and worked on farms there before taking up share farming.  He spent another two year stint in New South Wales share farming.   His father sent for him after securing for him land at Booborowie Estate.  The Booborowie farm had up to 500 pigs in open paddocks. 

In 1915 he enlisted and served a year in the Armed services.  He joined the 7/11^th Light Horse regiment and entered Officers school.  He was found to suffer from epilepsy and was invalided back to Australia.  James married Georgina ‘Rene’ Fuller on 28 June 1917.

He sold the land at Booborowie and purchased a property at Angle Vale around 1926 where he engaged in mixed farming and pig breeding.  Located on the Gawler River near the Angle Vale Bridge, the property was known ‘Bridge Park’.  He started his pig stud by importing from Victoria the champion and first prize Gloucester Spot sow and first prize boar at the Melbourne Show.   

When his son Jim enlisted in the AIF in 1940, Jim reduced his stock. In 1942, the family received notification that Corporal James Aldridge was accidently drowned in Queensland.  Five years later the farm was sold.

James is buried at St Jude’s Brighton cemetery, having passed away on 23 July 1976. Georgina passed away a few months later on 13^th November and is also buried in St Jude’s.