Tunbridge was born in
Dover,
Kent, to bricklayer John Nicholas Tunbridge and Anne,
née Denne. Educated at
Eythorne, he emigrated to Australia in 1884 and established himself as an architect in
Townsville, where he would eventually establish the civil engineering, architecture and surveying firm Tunbridge & Tunbridge. In February 1889 he was commissioned in the Mounted Infantry of the Queensland Land Forces, and in December was promoted
lieutenant. He and his unit were sent to keep order at the
1891 shearers' strike, and in June 1892 Tunbridge was promoted
captain. In November 1898 he was promoted
major and transferred to the Queensland Artillery Garrison Battery, serving in
South Africa from 1900 and commanding the
3rd Mounted Infantry Contingent. He saw action at
Elands River and
Rhenoster Kop. He served with distinction and was
mentioned in despatches, appointed
Companion of the Order of the Bath, awarded the
Queen's South Africa Medal with five clasps and promoted
brevet lieutenant-colonel. He returned to Australia in 1902 and served as
aide-de-camp to the
Governor-General. On 7 April 1904 Tunbridge married Leila Emily Brown in
Brisbane, and later extended his firm to include a
Melbourne branch, where he based himself until 1914. Appointed censor for the 3rd Military District in August 1914, he was swiftly promoted to deputy chief censor and before the month was out returned to the military as a lieutenant-colonel in the
Australian Imperial Force. Given command of the 1st Australian Division Ammunition Park (Mechanical Transport), Tunbridge and his units arrived in England in February 1915, where they were incorporated into the British Army as the 300th and 301st Mechanical Transport Companies and sent to France in July. Influential in various reorganisations of the mechanical transport units, Tunbridge was appointed to command the 1 Anzac Corps Ammunition Park on 25 April 1916 and following a reorganisation in January 1917 became senior mechanical operator of the 1 Anzac Corps. During the
Third Battle of Ypres his responsibilities covered the entire AIF contingent in France. and returned to architecture until his retirement in the 1930s. Tunbridge died in
Hawthorn, Victoria, on 11 October 1943 and was survived by his wife and three children. ==References==