Rear-admiral Henry Harvey Bruce Cb Mvo- Superintendant, Rosyth Dockyard 1915 Art

Admiral Sir Henry Harvey Bruce KCB MVO (8 May 1862 – 14 September 1948) was a British Royal Navy officer. Bruce was born in Stoke Damerel, Devonport, Devon, the son of Commander Sir Thomas Bruce, who later became Superintendent of Packets at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. He followed his father into the Navy as a

Cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

at HMS ''Britannia'' in 1875. His first sea service was in HMS ''Black Prince'',

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Channel Squadron and the second

ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

in the Royal Navy. He then joined the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

HMS ''Raleigh'' in the Mediterranean as a

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

, followed by HMS ''Monarch'', the first turret ship, from November 1879, taking part in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882. He was promoted

Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in June 1882, went to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich in August 1882, and in 1883 was appointed to the gunboat HMS ''Swinger'' in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He remained in her until 1887, having been promoted Lieutenant in December 1884. In February 1888 he joined the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

HMS ''Porpoise'' on the China Station and in August 1891 he went to the

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

HMS ''Beagle'' on the North American Station. In January 1894 he was appointed gunnery officer of the cruiser HMS ''Marathon'' on the East Indies Station, did the gunnery course at HMS ''Excellent'', and in 1897 joined the cruiser HMS ''Sirius'', carrying relief crews out to the Mediterranean. In July 1898 he took command of the torpedo gunboat HMS ''Jason'' and was promoted

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in June 1901. He then successively commanded the troopship HMS ''Tyne'' in the Mediterranean and the cruiser HMS ''Medea'' in the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

. In 1905 he was appointed Naval Officer-in-Charge at Bermuda. Later the same year he was promoted

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and took command of the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

depot ship HMS ''Blenheim'', followed by the light cruiser HMS ''Arrogant'' in the Atlantic Fleet and the battleship HMS ''Prince George''. In 1911 he took command of the cruiser HMS ''Defence'', escorting the King and Queen to India and back for the

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

, for which he was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO). In 1913 he took command of the battleship HMS ''Hercules'' in the

1st Battle Squadron The 1st Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, t ...

, and commanded her in the early stages of the First World War. In 1915 he was appointed the first Commodore-Superintendent of Rosyth Dockyard and was responsible for its development over the five years he held command, being promoted rear-admiral in April 1917. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1920 New Year Honours, having already been appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB). He retired as a vice-admiral in 1922 and was promoted

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

on the retired list in 1926. Bruce was knocked down by a car in London on 18 August 1948 and died from his injuries at his home in Eaton Square a month later.

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 16 September 1948 *Biography, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Henry 1862 births 1948 deaths Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon Royal Navy admirals of World War I Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Royal Victorian Order Pedestrian road incident deaths Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Road incident deaths in London