Henry James Bruce
Encyclopedia
Henry James Bruce CMG
MVO
(1 November 1880 - 10 September 1951) was a British
diplomat and author. Nearing the end of a diplomatic career in the Austrian
, German
and Russian
Empires, he married the ballerina Tamara Karsavina
. In the 1930s, he was an adviser to the National Bank of Hungary, and in retirement wrote books about his life.
A younger son of Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce, 4th Baronet
(1843-1919), by his marriage to Ellen Maud Ricardo OBE
, Bruce was one of four sons. His father, who was an officer of the Coldstream Guards
, had country houses
at Clifton Hall
, near Nottingham
, and Downhill
, County Londonderry
, and owned altogether some 22,000 acres. Like his father and brothers, Bruce was educated at Eton
.
Bruce's parents lived mainly in London
and at Downhill until in 1896 his father succeeded a cousin, Henry Robert Clifton, to the Clifton estates in Nottinghamshire
. Bruce's youth at Clifton is recalled in his book Silken Dalliance (1946).
as a junior diplomat in the British mission to the Austrian Empire
. In 1906 he was appointed Third Secretary there. In 1908 he transferred to the British Embassy in Berlin
, where he was promoted a Second Secretary in 1911. In 1913 he went to Saint Petersburg
, soon to be renamed Petrograd, where he became First Secretary in 1918.
In 1915, Bruce married the Russian prima ballerina Tamara Karsavina
(1885–1978).
Bruce retired the British diplomatic service in 1920 and the next year became Secretary General of the British delegation to the Interallied Commission for Bulgaria, going on to serve as British Delegate from 1924 to 1926. He was an adviser to the National Bank of Hungary from 1931 to 1939, when with the outbreak of the Second World War
he returned to the United Kingdom.
In retirement, Bruce began to write books. One reviewer wrote of his Silken Dalliance (1946) "It is more than silken dalliance that "in the wardrobe lies" ; a whole era of English history had the door shut on it in 1914, and nothing quite like it will ever be seen again. It is this era that Mr Bruce set out to capture for us."
In 1949 Bruce became treasurer of the Peabody Donation Fund. He was a member of the St James's Club
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
. He died on 10 September 1951.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(1 November 1880 - 10 September 1951) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat and author. Nearing the end of a diplomatic career in the Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
Empires, he married the ballerina Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev...
. In the 1930s, he was an adviser to the National Bank of Hungary, and in retirement wrote books about his life.
Early life
Bruce Baronets
There have been four Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Bruce, two in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
(1843-1919), by his marriage to Ellen Maud Ricardo OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, Bruce was one of four sons. His father, who was an officer of the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, had country houses
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
at Clifton Hall
Clifton Hall, Nottingham
Clifton Hall is a country house in the village of Clifton, Nottinghamshire . As well as being a Grade I listed building, the hall is part of the Clifton Village Conservation Area. While the history of the place stretches back to the 11th century, the hall was remodelled in the late 18th century in...
, near Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, and Downhill
Downhill House
Downhill House was a mansion built in the 18th century for Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol at Downhill, Northern Ireland. Much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1851 before being rebuilt in the 1870s...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, and owned altogether some 22,000 acres. Like his father and brothers, Bruce was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
Bruce's parents lived mainly in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and at Downhill until in 1896 his father succeeded a cousin, Henry Robert Clifton, to the Clifton estates in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. Bruce's youth at Clifton is recalled in his book Silken Dalliance (1946).
Career
In 1904 Bruce entered the Foreign Office, and in 1905 was sent to ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
as a junior diplomat in the British mission to the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. In 1906 he was appointed Third Secretary there. In 1908 he transferred to the British Embassy in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he was promoted a Second Secretary in 1911. In 1913 he went to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, soon to be renamed Petrograd, where he became First Secretary in 1918.
In 1915, Bruce married the Russian prima ballerina Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev...
(1885–1978).
Bruce retired the British diplomatic service in 1920 and the next year became Secretary General of the British delegation to the Interallied Commission for Bulgaria, going on to serve as British Delegate from 1924 to 1926. He was an adviser to the National Bank of Hungary from 1931 to 1939, when with the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he returned to the United Kingdom.
In retirement, Bruce began to write books. One reviewer wrote of his Silken Dalliance (1946) "It is more than silken dalliance that "in the wardrobe lies" ; a whole era of English history had the door shut on it in 1914, and nothing quite like it will ever be seen again. It is this era that Mr Bruce set out to capture for us."
In 1949 Bruce became treasurer of the Peabody Donation Fund. He was a member of the St James's Club
St James's Club
The St James's Club was a London gentlemen's club which operated between 1857 and 1978.-Foundation:The club was founded in 1857 by the Liberal statesman the second Earl Granville and by the Marchese d'Azeglio, Minister of Sardinia to the Court of St. James's, after a dispute at the Travellers' Club...
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. He died on 10 September 1951.
Family
Following Bruce's marriage to Tamara Karsavina in 1915, their only child was a son, Nikita Bruce, born in 1916, who lived until 2002. He married firstly Kay Bannerman, an actress, and secondly Dorothy Mary Norah Mostyn, with whom he had a daughter and a son, Caroline Mary Tamara Bruce (born 1958) and Nicholas William Henry Bruce (born 1960).Publications
- Silken Dalliance (Constable, 1946; second edition 1947)
- Thirty Dozen Moons (1949)
Honours
- Member of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, 1907 - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, 1917