Louis Bruce (17 December 1875 – 31 March 1958) was a British

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

and one of the first Black London tram drivers. He competed in the men's freestyle heavyweight at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

, the first Black British Olympian.

Early life

Bruce was born Louis Bruce McAvoy Mortimore Doney, in Paradise Cottage in Morningside, Edinburgh in 1875, to widow Jane Elizabeth Doney (née Mortimore). He had six older sisters. His father was not named on his birth certificate. Bruce grew up in Frogmore Cottage,

Plympton Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Plym ...

, Devon with his grandmother and two aunts. At the time of the 1908 Olympics, he was living at 7 St Peter's Grove,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

1908 Olympics

Bruce was a member of a number of London wrestling clubs, including the Hammersmith Amateur Wrestling Club. He was a competitor in the London Summer Olympic Games of 1908, the oldest participant in the wrestling event age 32. Bruce reached the Quarter Finals, wrestling against

Alfred Banbrook Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

and winning, then losing to

Ernest Nixson Ernest Edgar Nixson (25 May 1886 – 23 February 1971) was a British wrestler. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight at the 1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also ...

in the next round. Bruce finished fifth in the heavyweight category. Prior to research undertaken in December 2021, he was recorded under the name "Lawrence Bruce". His name was correctly identified as Louis Bruce, and that he was the first Black Olympian to represent Great Britain (it was previously believed that sprinter

Harry Edward Harry Francis Vincent Edward (15 April 1898 – 8 July 1973) was a British runner. He competed in the 100 and 200 m 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp and won bronze medals in both events, becoming the first black person to gain Olympic medals ...

, who competed in 1920, was the first Black Olympian to represent Britain).

Tram career

Bruce also appears on the

London Underground map The Tube map (sometimes called the London Underground map) is a schematic transit map, transport map of the lines, stations and services of the London Underground, known colloquially as "the Tube", hence the map's name. The first schematic Tube ...

of Black history produced by the

London Transport Museum The London Transport Museum (often abbreviated as the LTM) is a transport museum based in Covent Garden, London. The museum predominantly hosts exhibits relating to the heritage of London's transport, as well as conserving and explaining the h ...

. Bruce was one of London's first Black tram drivers and was selected to drive tram No.320, the personal tram of London United Tramways (LUT) manager

Clifton Robinson Sir (James) Clifton Robinson (1 January 1848 – 6 November 1910), born in Birkenhead, England, was known as the "Tramway King", having involvement in the building and operating of street tramways in New York City, London, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork ...

. He got his licence to drive trams in 1900 and appears to have driven until at least 1922. He achieved the relatively senior rank of Inspector. During his time with LUT, Bruce boxed in company matches and performed in company entertainments as a dancer, ragtime singer and comedian.

Personal life

Bruce married Ethel Elizabeth Dunn in September 1911. Bruce listed his father as a medical practitioner named William King Bruce on his wedding certificate. Ethel and Louis Bruce had a son named Dennis. By the 1930s, Bruce had moved to

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

and owned a shop. Bruce died in 1958 with an estate valued at £5,897.

Commemoration

A blue plaque was unveiled in Louis Bruce's honour at his former home at 7 St Peter’s Grove,

, London on 25 April 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Louis 1875 births 1958 deaths Black British sportsmen British male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Great Britain Wrestlers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Transport for London