James Andrew Thomas Bruce

Admiral Sir James Andrew Thomas Bruce, KCMG (15 July 1846 – 25 May 1921) was an officer in the Royal Navy, who was second in command of the British fleet on the China Station during the Boxer Rebellion.

Background

Bruce was born on 15 July 1846, the son of Rt. Hon. Sir

Sir Henry Hervey Bruce, 3rd Baronet and Marianne Margaret Clifton.^[1]

Naval career

He served in the Niger Campaign in 1871.[1]

During the

Peking forts and the relief of the foreign legations at Tientsin.^[2]

The British fleet during the Boxer rebellion

The British fleet on the China Station in March 1901 was commanded by

Vice-Admiral Sir Edward H. Seymour, G.C.B. in the Centurion, with Rear-Admiral Sir James A.T. Bruce, K.C.M.G. second in command,^[3] and consisted of:^[4]

Battleships: Barfleur, Centurion, Glory, Goliath, Ocean.
1st Class cruisers: Argonaut, Aurora, Blenheim, Endymion, Orlando , Terrible, Undaunted **.
2nd Class cruisers: Arethusa ‡, Astraea ‡, Bonaventure, Dido ‡, Hermione, lsis ‡, Pique.
3rd Class cruisers:
Wallaroo ‡
.
Destroyers: Fame, Hart, Otter, Whiting.
Sloops: Algerine, Daphne, Phoenix, Rosario.
Gunvessel: Linnet.
Gunboats: Bramble, Brisk, Britomart, Esk , Lizard ‡, Pigmy, Plover, Redpole.^[5]
Storeship: Humber.
Receiving ship Hong Kong: Tamar (flagship of the Commodore in charge at Hong Kong, Commodore Francis Powell, C.B)^[3]
River steamers: Robin, Sandpiper, Snipe, Woodcock, Woodlark.

** Ordered home. ‡ Temporarily attached to China Station.

Bruce was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in 1900 for his services in China.^[1]

Barfleur ended her China Station service in November 1901, departing Hong Kong on 11 November 1901

Devonport on 22 January 1902, and Sir James Bruce was received in audience by King Edward VII a week later.^[8]

Later life

He died aged 74, on 25 May 1921.[1]

Family

He married Catherine Mary Philippa Wodehouse, daughter of Colonel Edwin Wodehouse and Catherine Street, on 27 June 1877. There were no children from this marriage. He had an illegitimate daughter, Olive Christian, by Susan Christian in 1874. Olive Christian married Algernon Samuel Wigmore of Cobham and Stoke D'Abernon, Surrey, in 1898. She died, aged 52, on 21 November 1926. Olive Christian Wigmore is interred in the Churchyard of Stoke D'Abernon.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e thepeerage.com
ISBN 0-87021-061-0
., page 99

^ ^a ^b Navy List March 1901, corrected to 18 February 1901, page 217

^ Navy List March 1901, corrected to 18 February 1901, page 218

^ The name of this ship is given as HMS Redpole in the 1901 Navy List, but HMS Redpoll in Conways 1860-1905.

^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36611. London. 13 November 1901. p. 11.

^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36653. London. 1 January 1902. p. 4.

^ "Court circular". The Times. No. 36679. London. 31 January 1902. p. 8.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Andrew_Thomas_Bruce&oldid=1220718618"

[peerage-1] thepeerage.com

[2] ISBN 0-87021-061-0
., page 99

[NavyListMar01p217-3] Navy List March 1901, corrected to 18 February 1901, page 217

[4] Navy List March 1901, corrected to 18 February 1901, page 218

[5] The name of this ship is given as HMS Redpole in the 1901 Navy List, but HMS Redpoll in Conways 1860-1905.

[6] "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36611. London. 13 November 1901. p. 11.

[7] "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36653. London. 1 January 1902. p. 4.

[8] "Court circular". The Times. No. 36679. London. 31 January 1902. p. 8.

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