Henry Campbell Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare (19 June 1851 – 20 February 1929), styled The Honourable from 1873 to 1895, was a British soldier and peer.

Background

Born in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

, Bruce was the eldest son of Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, who had served as

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

.Dod (1915), p. 41. His mother Annabella was his father's first wife and the daughter of Richard Beadon. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1895, he succeeded his father as baron.

Career

His military career, by virtue of his status in the nobility, was started early: he served in the Welch Regiment and became a major of the 3rd Battalion in 1899. A year later he was appointed its honorary lieutenant-colonel and in 1910 honorary colonel of the 5th Battalion. Later Bruce was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Battalion. He was decorated with the Volunteer Decoration. Bruce was president of

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

as well as of the National Museum Wales. He was a Justice of the Peace, assigned to

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

and represented the county first as Deputy Lieutenant from December 1901, later as Vice Lord Lieutenant. He was a member of the London Survey Committee, a voluntary organisation publishing architectural surveys of the capital.

Family

Bruce married Constance Mary, daughter of Hamilton Beckett on 10 February 1880. The couple had nine children together, five sons and four daughters. * Capt. Hon. Henry Lyndhurst Bruce (25 May 1881 – 14 December 1914), married in 1906 Camille Clifford, a Belgian-born stage actress and the most famous model for the "

Gibson Girl The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

" illustrations; killed in action in

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

with the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

in First World War * Hon. Margaret Cecilia Bruce (28 October 1882 – 16 April 1949), married in 1904 Orlando Bridgeman, 5th Earl of Bradford *

Clarence Bruce, 3rd Baron Aberdare Clarence Napier Bruce, 3rd Baron Aberdare (2 August 1885 – 4 October 1957), styled The Honourable Clarence Bruce from 1895 to 1929, was a British military officer, cricketer, tennis player, and golfer who worked as a sports administrator. He w ...

(2 August 1885 – 4 October 1957), married firstly in 1912 Margaret Bethune Black (died 1950), married secondly in 1957 Griselda Harriet Violet Finetta Georgina Hervey, only daughter of Dudley Hervey * Hon. Violet Eva Bruce (8 November 1887 – 10 November 1887), died shortly after birth * Hon. John Hamilton Bruce (14 June 1889 – 8 April 1964) * Hon. Eva Isabel Marion Bruce (17 June 1892 – 29 January 1987), married in 1911 Algernon Strutt, 3rd Baron Belper (divorced 1922); married secondly in 1924

Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery, 2nd Earl of Midlothian, (8 January 1882 – 31 May 1974), styled Lord Dalmeny until 1929, was a British liberal politician who briefly served as Secretary of State for Scotland ...

; created a Dame in 1955 and ''Chevalier'' of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* Hon. Constance Pamela Alice Bruce (14 June 1895 – 15 March 1978), married in 1919 Edward Digby, 11th Baron Digby * Hon. Victor Austin Bruce (8 April 1897 – 1 December 1978), married in 1926 Mildred Mary Petre, known as Mrs Victor Bruce (10 November 1895 – 21 May 1990) record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator (divorced 1941). *Hon. Robert Bruce (1 October 1898 – 22 October 1898), died shortly after birth His oldest son and heir apparent Henry was commissioned a captain in the 3rd Battalion,

, but was killed in action soon after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out. Bruce died himself in

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's, Hanover Square, Church of St George's, Hanover Square, ...

, London, on 20 February 1929, and was succeeded in the barony by his second son Clarence. His granddaughter Pamela Digby became American Ambassador to France.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aberdare, Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron 1851 births 1929 deaths Deputy lieutenants of Glamorgan Humboldt University of Berlin alumni People educated at Rugby School Welch Regiment officers 2