Julius Henry Bruche
Encyclopedia
Major General
Sir Julius Henry Bruche KCB
, CMG
(6 March 1873 – 28 April 1961) was an Australian Army
officer
who undertook active service during the Second Boer War
and First World War and eventually rose to the position of Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in 1931. He retired in 1935 and died in 1961, aged 88.
where he studied law. In 1898 he qualified as a barrister
in the Supreme Court of Victoria
, but made the decision to pursue a military career instead.
unit, before transferring to the Permanent Military Forces in 1898. Initially he served as a lieutenant
, but was promoted to captain in February 1899.
During the early part of the Boer War he served on exchange with the British Army
, attached to the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
, before serving as quartermaster
for the Australian Regiment and then adjutant
of the Victorian Mounted Rifles
contingent. After returning to Australia in late 1900, he returned to South Africa late in the war, serving with the 2nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse
.
After returning from South Africa he held a number of administrative and instructional appointments. In between these appointments Bruche was married to Dorothy Annette McFarland, whom he wed in Sydney on 12 April 1904, and with whom he subsequently had twin daughters. In 1906 he was promoted to major
before undertaking another exchange positing with the British Army in 1910. This lasted for a year and on his return he was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General in Tasmania. In July 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
before being transferred to Queensland, where he eventually became the Assistant Adjutant General.
At the start of the First World War, concerns about Bruche’s German heritage led to him not being accepted for overseas service in the First Australian Imperial Force
(AIF) until June 1916 when he was appointed to the staff of the AIF headquarters in London.
Later he served on the staff of 5th Division in France
as a temporary colonel
where he worked closely with General John Monash
. Monash is said to have thought highly of Bruche’s administrative skills, so highly in fact that following the end of hostilities he made Bruche director of the non-military employment scheme that was set up in England as part of the repatriation process to provide soldiers with civilian skills that they could use on their return to Australia.
Following his return to Australia in December 1919 Bruche was confirmed as a substantive colonel in 1920, before achieving the rank of major general in 1923. He then held a number of senior positions including commandant of the New South Wales and Queensland military districts, adjutant general of the Australian forces, senior military representative for Australia in London and on the Imperial General Staff and commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon
. In October 1935 he became Chief of the General Staff (CGS), taking over from Walter Coxen
. His tenure was marked by the austerity of the economic downturn of the Great Depression, and the general malaise that crept into Australian strategic thinking at the time. He retired in 1935 at the rank of major general, being replaced as CGS by Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack
.
Throughout his career Bruche received many honours including: the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). During the First World War he was also mentioned in despatches five times.
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
Sir Julius Henry Bruche KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
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....
(6 March 1873 – 28 April 1961) was an Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
who undertook active service during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and First World War and eventually rose to the position of Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in 1931. He retired in 1935 and died in 1961, aged 88.
Early life
Julius Bruche was born on 6 March 1873 in North Melbourne to German born parents. His father was William Julius Maximilian Bruche—a corn merchant—while his mother was Elise Dorothea Henrietta Bruche (née Goetz). As a youth he attended Scotch College before progressing on to the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
where he studied law. In 1898 he qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, but made the decision to pursue a military career instead.
Military career
In 1891 Bruche took a part-time commission in the 1st Battalion, Victorian Rifles, a militiaAustralian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
unit, before transferring to the Permanent Military Forces in 1898. Initially he served as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, but was promoted to captain in February 1899.
During the early part of the Boer War he served on exchange with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, attached to the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, before serving as quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
for the Australian Regiment and then adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the Victorian Mounted Rifles
Victorian Mounted Rifles
The Victorian Mounted Rifles was a regiment composed of Australian forces that served in the Second Boer War. It was first raised by Colonel Tom Price in the mid-1880s, composed of voluntary forces...
contingent. After returning to Australia in late 1900, he returned to South Africa late in the war, serving with the 2nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse
Australian Commonwealth Horse
The Australian Commonwealth Horse was a mounted infantry unit of the Australian Army formed for service during the Second Boer War in South Africa in 1902 and was the first expeditionary military unit established by the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901...
.
After returning from South Africa he held a number of administrative and instructional appointments. In between these appointments Bruche was married to Dorothy Annette McFarland, whom he wed in Sydney on 12 April 1904, and with whom he subsequently had twin daughters. In 1906 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. ...
before undertaking another exchange positing with the British Army in 1910. This lasted for a year and on his return he was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General in Tasmania. In July 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
before being transferred to Queensland, where he eventually became the Assistant Adjutant General.
At the start of the First World War, concerns about Bruche’s German heritage led to him not being accepted for overseas service in the First Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
(AIF) until June 1916 when he was appointed to the staff of the AIF headquarters in London.
Later he served on the staff of 5th Division in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a temporary colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
where he worked closely with General John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
. Monash is said to have thought highly of Bruche’s administrative skills, so highly in fact that following the end of hostilities he made Bruche director of the non-military employment scheme that was set up in England as part of the repatriation process to provide soldiers with civilian skills that they could use on their return to Australia.
Following his return to Australia in December 1919 Bruche was confirmed as a substantive colonel in 1920, before achieving the rank of major general in 1923. He then held a number of senior positions including commandant of the New South Wales and Queensland military districts, adjutant general of the Australian forces, senior military representative for Australia in London and on the Imperial General Staff and commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
. In October 1935 he became Chief of the General Staff (CGS), taking over from Walter Coxen
Walter Adams Coxen
Major General Walter Adams Coxen CB, CMG, DSO was an Australian Army Major General in World War I. In April 1930 Coxen was promoted to the position of Chief of General Staff. He retired in 1931.-Early life and career:...
. His tenure was marked by the austerity of the economic downturn of the Great Depression, and the general malaise that crept into Australian strategic thinking at the time. He retired in 1935 at the rank of major general, being replaced as CGS by Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack
John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
.
Throughout his career Bruche received many honours including: the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). During the First World War he was also mentioned in despatches five times.