Hugh Bruce
Encyclopedia
Major Hugh Bruce, was a prisoner-of-war in Colditz Castle
and later commanding officer of the Special Boat Service
.
, where his father was serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps
on attachment to the Indian Army. He was educated at Blundell's School
in Tiverton.
in 1937. He was commissioned a year later, and served briefly in the battleship HMS Rodney before being selected for the Calais force
.
, they were charged with helping French marines to defend the ancient citadel at the centre of the town. There they were attacked by the full might of XIX Panzer Corps and, by early evening, were surrounded and out of ammunition. They had fought with such vigour that the official German record read, "The enemy gives the impression of being fresh, and seems to have received reinforcements after two days of heavy fighting."
When Calais fell Bruce sought to escape but was captured and marched across northern France to the German frontier, and then on to Laufen camp
in Bavaria
. In the spring of 1941 he was moved to Stalag XXI-D
(Posen
), a punishment camp set up in response to the supposed ill-treatment of German prisoners in Canada. Here, Bruce and his comrades were kept underground in deplorable conditions, which resulted in Bruce contracting pompholyx, brought on by poor nutrition and lack of sunlight.
Then, after a short spell at Oflag V-B Biberach camp
on the Swiss border, he was moved to the naval camp, Marlag
, part of Stalag X-B
at Sandbostel
, from which he made a number of escapes. The first, with Flight Lieutenant Peter Wild, resulted in only 40 minutes of freedom after they had attached themselves to a working party, then run off whilst on a wood collecting trip in the forest. Hunter, Bruce's fellow Marine officer, was imprisoned with him and, over the winter of 1941-42, the two men became firm friends.
With a number of colleagues they conceived, designed and built by hand a masterpiece of British engineering - a 251-yard-long tunnel, complete with rest bay, electric lighting and air flow system, as well as a signalling device to warn of the approach of sentries. Over 100 tons of soil was excavated and concealed under a hut. On April 7, 1942 Bruce, Hunter and 10 other officers made their escape.
After 12 days on the run Bruce and Hunter were captured near Flensburg
, within a few hundred yards of the Danish border. After a brief spell back at Sandbostel, the pair escaped once again, this time by jumping aboard a prison lorry, but were recaptured at Hamburg
railway station by the German police.
(then prisoner of war camp Oflag IV-C
), where Bruce's skills were immediately put to good use (he was a talented lock-picker and at a reunion at Colditz 40 years later, he managed to pick the lock of his cell before a disgruntled East German guard was able to find the correct key).
The three Royal Marine officers (Capt Courtice, their company commander at Calais, was also at Colditz) had a reputation for bravery and good humour, and Bruce was always a willing volunteer for whatever was being planned. He was involved in a number of escape attempts, including a particularly bold one in which one of his comrades, Mike Sinclair, impersonated a senior German NCO. But all these attempts failed, and Bruce remained in Colditz until his release in April 1945.
, Malta
and Suez
. He was second-in-command of 40 Commando
, and joined the Special Boat Service
in 1950, becoming its commanding officer in 1952. He was promoted to Major
31 December 1953.
Bruce was mentioned in dispatches
three times: for his part in the defence of Calais in 1940; for the organisation of the Sandbostel tunnel; and for anti-terrorist operations against Grivas's EOKA
in Cyprus whilst serving with 40 Commando.
Bruce retired from the Royal Marines in 1957.
.
Bruce set up Sea Services Shipping, which surveyed the proposed route of the Channel Tunnel
, and provided supply ships to the oil industry. Bruce ran the company for nearly 30 years. Later he established Bruce Maritime, which specialised in deepwater buoys
in the North Sea
.
In addition to his interest in wildlife, shooting and fishing, Bruce was a keen yachtsman - while in Colditz, he had won third prize in a competition organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club
for prisoners of war to design an offshore racing yacht (the first prize went to another Colditz prisoner, Flight Lieutenant Welch).
Bruce competed in 10 Fastnet race
s (coming first of class in Uomie in 1953) and numerous Admiral's Cup regattas
. A meticulous planner in every aspect of his life, Bruce became a much sought after navigator and tactician; in his sixties he was engaged by the Swiss Admiral's Cup team as tactician on their 1981 challenge. He also wrote extensively on race tactics and navigation.
Bruce also founded the Royal Marines' Canoe Club, and in 1952, with his Royal Marine colleague David Mitchell, broke the world record for crossing the English Channel
in a two-man canoe.
Hugh Glenrinnes Bruce died in 2003 in North Walsham
, Norfolk
.
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
and later commanding officer of the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
.
Early life
Hugh Glenrinnes Bruce was born at Mhow in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where his father was serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
on attachment to the Indian Army. He was educated at Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
in Tiverton.
Military career
Bruce joined the Royal MarinesRoyal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
in 1937. He was commissioned a year later, and served briefly in the battleship HMS Rodney before being selected for the Calais force
Siege of Calais (1940)
The Siege of Calais was a battle for the port and town of Calais during the German blitzkrieg which overran northern France in 1940. It immediately preceded Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force through Dunkirk....
.
Capture
Bruce was part of Captain Darby Courtice's company of 85 Royal Marines when it landed at Calais shortly after midnight on May 25, 1940. With one other officer, Lt David HunterDavid Peter Lafayette Hunter
Lieutenant-Colonel David Hunter, , was a prisoner of war in Colditz Castle, later commanding officer of 40 Commando and recipient of the Military Cross.-Early life:...
, they were charged with helping French marines to defend the ancient citadel at the centre of the town. There they were attacked by the full might of XIX Panzer Corps and, by early evening, were surrounded and out of ammunition. They had fought with such vigour that the official German record read, "The enemy gives the impression of being fresh, and seems to have received reinforcements after two days of heavy fighting."
When Calais fell Bruce sought to escape but was captured and marched across northern France to the German frontier, and then on to Laufen camp
Oflag VII-C
Oflag VII-C was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers located in Laufen Castle in south-eastern Bavaria from 1940 to 1942. Most of the prisoners were British officers captured during the Battle of France in 1940. To relieve overcrowding, some of the officers were transferred to...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. In the spring of 1941 he was moved to Stalag XXI-D
Stalag XXI-D
Stalag XXI-D was a German World War II PoW Camp based in Poznań , Poland.- Description :Following the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the establishment of the Reichsgau Wartheland, Poznań became the administrative centre of 'Wehrkreis XXI' . Some of Poznań's eighteenth century forts were used as...
(Posen
Posen
Posen may refer to:Places in Europe:* Poznań, Poland * Grand Duchy of Posen, autonomous province of Prussia, 1815–1848* Province of Posen, Prussian province, 1848–1918...
), a punishment camp set up in response to the supposed ill-treatment of German prisoners in Canada. Here, Bruce and his comrades were kept underground in deplorable conditions, which resulted in Bruce contracting pompholyx, brought on by poor nutrition and lack of sunlight.
Then, after a short spell at Oflag V-B Biberach camp
Oflag V-B
Oflag V-B Biberach, was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers located in Biberach in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg from 1940 to 1942. Most of the prisoners were British officers captured in the Battle of France in 1940 or in Greece in June 1941...
on the Swiss border, he was moved to the naval camp, Marlag
Marlag und Milag Nord
Marlag und Milag Nord was a German Prisoner-of-war camp in Military District X, located near Westertimke, Germany.There were over 5,000 Allied Merchant seamen captured by the German forces during World War II...
, part of Stalag X-B
Stalag X-B
Stalag X-B was a World War II German Prisoner-of-war camp located near Sandbostel in north-western Germany. Sandbostel lies 9 km south of Bremervörde, 43 km northeast of Bremen. Placed on swampy ground,with a damp, cold climate, it is one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps. Between...
at Sandbostel
Sandbostel
Sandbostel is a municipality in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, 43 km north-east of Bremen, 60 km west of Hamburg. Coordinates: 53° 25′ N, 9° 8′ E. Population: 816...
, from which he made a number of escapes. The first, with Flight Lieutenant Peter Wild, resulted in only 40 minutes of freedom after they had attached themselves to a working party, then run off whilst on a wood collecting trip in the forest. Hunter, Bruce's fellow Marine officer, was imprisoned with him and, over the winter of 1941-42, the two men became firm friends.
With a number of colleagues they conceived, designed and built by hand a masterpiece of British engineering - a 251-yard-long tunnel, complete with rest bay, electric lighting and air flow system, as well as a signalling device to warn of the approach of sentries. Over 100 tons of soil was excavated and concealed under a hut. On April 7, 1942 Bruce, Hunter and 10 other officers made their escape.
After 12 days on the run Bruce and Hunter were captured near Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, within a few hundred yards of the Danish border. After a brief spell back at Sandbostel, the pair escaped once again, this time by jumping aboard a prison lorry, but were recaptured at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
railway station by the German police.
Colditz
In August 1942 Bruce and Hunter were imprisoned in Colditz CastleColditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
(then prisoner of war camp Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
), where Bruce's skills were immediately put to good use (he was a talented lock-picker and at a reunion at Colditz 40 years later, he managed to pick the lock of his cell before a disgruntled East German guard was able to find the correct key).
The three Royal Marine officers (Capt Courtice, their company commander at Calais, was also at Colditz) had a reputation for bravery and good humour, and Bruce was always a willing volunteer for whatever was being planned. He was involved in a number of escape attempts, including a particularly bold one in which one of his comrades, Mike Sinclair, impersonated a senior German NCO. But all these attempts failed, and Bruce remained in Colditz until his release in April 1945.
Post war
After the war Bruce continued in the Royal Marines, serving in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
. He was second-in-command of 40 Commando
40 Commando
40 Commando RM is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
, and joined the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
in 1950, becoming its commanding officer in 1952. He was promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
31 December 1953.
Bruce was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
three times: for his part in the defence of Calais in 1940; for the organisation of the Sandbostel tunnel; and for anti-terrorist operations against Grivas's EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
in Cyprus whilst serving with 40 Commando.
Bruce retired from the Royal Marines in 1957.
Civilian Life
In 1951 he married Jean Rowland Farrant, then head model at the House of WorthHouse of Worth
The House of Worth is a Haute Couture fashion house founded in the 1850s by Charles Frederick Worth. Today the house is owned by Shaneel Enterprises, entrepreneurs of Indian descent, based in the UK...
.
Bruce set up Sea Services Shipping, which surveyed the proposed route of the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
, and provided supply ships to the oil industry. Bruce ran the company for nearly 30 years. Later he established Bruce Maritime, which specialised in deepwater buoys
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
In addition to his interest in wildlife, shooting and fishing, Bruce was a keen yachtsman - while in Colditz, he had won third prize in a competition organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club
Royal Ocean Racing Club
The Royal Ocean Racing Club also called RORC was established in 1925 as a result of a race to the Fastnet rock from Cowes and finishing in Plymouth. The RORC is the principal organiser of offshore yacht races in the UK, including the Fastnet race, the Admirals Cup and the Commodore's Cup...
for prisoners of war to design an offshore racing yacht (the first prize went to another Colditz prisoner, Flight Lieutenant Welch).
Bruce competed in 10 Fastnet race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
s (coming first of class in Uomie in 1953) and numerous Admiral's Cup regattas
Admiral's Cup
The Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event which was competed for between national teams. However the event was not...
. A meticulous planner in every aspect of his life, Bruce became a much sought after navigator and tactician; in his sixties he was engaged by the Swiss Admiral's Cup team as tactician on their 1981 challenge. He also wrote extensively on race tactics and navigation.
Bruce also founded the Royal Marines' Canoe Club, and in 1952, with his Royal Marine colleague David Mitchell, broke the world record for crossing the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in a two-man canoe.
Hugh Glenrinnes Bruce died in 2003 in North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.