David Bruce was the son of David Bruce, marine engineer and Amelia Robertson. He was the eldest of eight children and one of three brothers. Serving an apprenticeship with his father he became familiar with all types of engine as petrol and diesel was replacing steam. His mother died in 1939 and he lived with his father in Bank Row. His youngest brother was a Police Constable. On 30 Oct 1924 David married Annie Jane Gunn. They had three children, a son and two daughters. Following a highly competitive process, with 37 other candidates and a series of votes, he was appointed water inspector for Wick in 1932. When the Council met in Oct 1939, they commended Bruce on the efficient manner in which he managed and maintained the water supply. They were also pleased that the RAF were paying a substantial sum for water supply to the new airfield at Wick. In 1934, he was appointed assistant firemaster, the deputy commander of the 10 man Wick fire brigade.
Bank Row was the scene of a tragedy on 1 July 1940. A single Ju 88 bomber approached the town unnoticed due to heavy cloud and there was no warning or siren and no antiaircraft fire. It dropped two bombs aiming for the harbour, but misjudged the distance and they fell among the shops and houses of Bank Row, where children were playing in the street. Of the 15 killed, 8 were children and 30 were injured overall. It was the first daylight bombing of the British mainland.
He left Wick in 1952 for mid Clyth where he lived at Brian Lodge. He worked for Caithness County Council as a water engineer as they took over the various local supplies. In retirement he celebrated his Golden Wedding anniversary. He died on holiday in Arbroath. His obituary mentioned duties with a “special army unit” during the war, but said no more than that.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wick Patrol | Patrol Leader | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
Wick Town Council (Water Inspector)
No details are known of his Auxiliary Units service, though as Patrol Leader, he likely was sent on a course at Coleshill. In 1943 he was exempted from fire watching duties along with two others, Adin More the electricity manager and John Bain, Burgh Surveyor. It just so happened that both were fellow Auxiliers. The exemption could reasonably argued on the grounds of their duties in the event of air raids, but did make it easier to attend Patrol training. In 1941, Bruce arranged exemptions for four plumbers who might assist him in the event of bomb damage to the water system, presumably including the Patrol members who were plumbers. It was discovered in December 1943 that the Council did not have the power to exempt the key men identified, though by this point the lack of enemy air activity made the entire fire-watching scheme questionable at best. Of note is that Home guard service automatically exempted men from fire-watching duties, meaning their Auxiliary Units service was unknown to their neighbours.
His Stand Down letters are lodged in the Caithness Archives.
In 2011, a Bank Row resident, was digging a footing for an aerial mast for his amateur radio equipment. About a foot down his struck zinc sheet. Clearing this off and lifting it, he discovered beneath six boxes of AW bombs, each containing 24 of the phosphorus grenades. This resulted in the cancellation of a Burgh Council meeting while the attendance of the bomb disposal team was awaited. The grenades were found to be in good condition and were removed for disposal. It is unclear if these belonged to the Patrol or the local regular Home Guard unit.
TNA ref WO199/3388,
Hancock data held at B.R.A
Patricia More Barnett
Ancestry UK family trees
John O’ Groat Journal 1 Jul 1932, 12 Jan 1934, 27 Oct 1939, 31 Jan 1941, 5 Dec 1941, 2 Apr 1943, 3 Dec 1943, 11 Apr 1952, 8 Nov 1974, 5 Oct 1979, 26 Oct 1979, 3 Oct 2011, 5 Oct 2011, 5 Oct 2011