Harry John Bruce

Sergeant

Conflict:

WW1

Additional Information:

Son of Arthur and Helen Bruce, of Kakahu, Geraldine, Canterbury.

References:

CWGC

Archives New Zealand

NZ WAR GRAVES

Public Contributions:

Uncle Harry, was a son of Arthur Shackleton Bruce, Kakahu Station Geraldine S Canterbury. Three sons went to WW1 Harry, Allan (my father) & Roy. Harry was an officer in school unit, joined with S...outh Cant Mounted Rifles when his family moved to Kakahu about 1910 from "Hillcrest", Fernside, Rangiora. Reputed to be a sharpshooter there is a gold prize medal won in SC unit competition (interestingly it is a maltese cross, with target bullseye superimposed marked with the actual shots). Harry worked for a stock firm, Dalgetys, on leaving school. His uncle, Holly Bruce was an accountant with Dalgetys. Harry was at Kaikoura. He sent lists of properties for sale to his father, Arthur who was keen to buy a property for his family, we still have the lists! After buying Kakahu, Harry spent some months there then joined a bank who sent him to Morrinsville. Harry seems to have had an active social life, tennis club, local army unit - he sent for his rifle giving special orders how to specially wrap the sights. At outbreak of war he immediately joined 6 Hauraki to get away as soon as possible, as did his brother Allan (my father) with SC Mounted Rifles. Both left with the first convoy, meeting in Egypt. They clubbed together to send a gold and turquoise necklace home to their mother, also to Harry's sweetheart back in Morrinsville. Both went to Gallipoli where Harry was hit in the head by a shell from which he died and was apparently buried at sea. Several letters assure his family he did not suffer, yeah right! Each letter tells a slightly different story. Later Allan was also hit, a machine gun bullet entered his thigh and as he was running it got his lower calf on same leg (4 holes), He was lucky to be sent to England. Dressings to his wounds were not changed till he reached hospital where it was found maggots were cleaning it out. The Turkish Maxim which got him was captured and sent home as a war trophy (it still exists). Allan was eventually sent to Passchendaele and was a guard on Von Richthofen's plane wreck. Brother Roy also was with SC Mounted going through the Desert campaign. At the end of the war Roy was sent with South Canterbury Mounteds back to Gallipoli to clean up the area which was still littered with remains, the Turks had of course salvaged all usable materials. The clear up cost a further 35 men to disease! Roy was with what was eventually the war graves organization. Roy also retained a belief that his brother had somehow survived but we never knew what caused this belief! Richard Roy Bruce 2012 Read More

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Casualty

Service Number:

12/301

Name:

Harry John Bruce

Rank:

Sergeant

Date of Birth:

Not known

Next of Kin:

A.G. Bruce, Kakahu, Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand

Date of Enlistment:

Not known

Enlistment Address:

Morrinsville, New Zealand

Armed Force:

Army

Unit:

NZEF, Auckland Regiment, 6 (Hauraki) Company

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Died of wounds, at sea

Date of Death:

27 April 1915

Day of Death:

Tuesday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW1

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:

Main Body

Embarkation Place:

Auckland, New Zealand

Embarkment Date:

16 October 1914

Transport:

HMNZT 8
HMNZT 12

Vessel:

Star of India or Waimana

Destination:

Suez, Egypt

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Lone Pine Memorial

Cemetery Reference:

Cemetery Location:

Turkey

Harry John Bruce

Public Contributions:

Personal Tributes:

Casualty

Casualty Details

Embarkation Details

Cemetery