Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin

Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable

The Earl of Elgin

KT CD JP DL
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable; The Earl of Elgin; KT CD JP DL
11th Earl of Elgin
Tenure	1968–present
Full name	Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce
Other titles	Lord Bruce (1924–1968)
Born	Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce, Lord Bruce; 17 February 1924 (age 100); Broomhall House, Fife, Scotland
Residence	Broomhall House, nr. Dunfermline, Scotland
Offices	Chief of Clan Bruce; Lord Lieutenant of Fife; Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Spouse(s)	Victoria Usher (m. 1959; died 2024)
Issue	5, including Adam
Parents	Edward Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin ; Katherine Cochrane
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1943–46, 1951–65, 1976–86
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Service number	293466
Unit	Scots Guards
Battles / wars	Second World War Operation Bluecoat;
Awards	Order of the Thistle; Canadian Forces' Decoration

Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, KT, CD, JP, DL (born 17 February 1924), styled Lord Bruce before 1968, is a Scottish peer and Chief of Clan Bruce.^[2]

Early life and education

Elgin was born in 1924 at the family seat, Broomhall House, in Fife, the eldest son of the 10th Earl of Elgin and Katherine Elizabeth, Countess of Elgin, daughter of the 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults. The arrival of a male heir following the births of two daughters, Lady Martha and Lady Jean, created tremendous celebration at the Broomhall estate, which included a bonfire and fireworks attended by crowds of villagers from Limekilns and Charlestown. He was styled Lord Bruce from birth^[3] and christened at Broomhall on 31 March 1924 by his great-uncle Rev. Henry Holmes Stewart.^[4] His five god-parents were Field Marshal Earl Haig, his uncle the Hon. Thomas Cochrane, Sir Alexander Gibb; Lord Elgin's elder sister, Lady Elisabeth Babington Smith; and Lady Victoria Cavendish-Bentinck, daughter of the Duke of Portland.^[5]

He was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford.

Military career

On 12 September 1943, Bruce was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Armoured) Bn Scots Guards^[6]^[7] and was wounded during Operation Bluecoat, the breakout from Normandy in August 1944. He was invalided out of the army on 24 October 1946, with the honorary rank of lieutenant.^[8]

On 4 April 1951, he was appointed an instructor in the Army Cadet Force, with the rank of Lieutenant.^[9] In July 1963, by then the County Cadet Commandant for Fife, he was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal.^[10] He resigned his commission on 19 April 1965, retaining the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel.^[11]^[12] Since 1970, he has been Colonel-in-Chief of the 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins),^[13] and was Honorary Colonel of the 153 (Highland) Transport Regiment from 1976 to 1986.

Career

Elgin has held a number of business appointments, including as President of the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society (1975–1994), and Chairman of the National Savings Committee for Scotland. He was also President of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club.^[14]

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1951, was Deputy Lieutenant of Fife 1955–1987, and Lord Lieutenant 1987–1999. In 1980, he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as her Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and reappointed in 1981.^[15] In 1981 HM The Queen appointed him as a Knight of the Thistle.^[16] He was awarded the Canadian Forces' Decoration in 1981. He is a former Captain of the Royal Company of Archers and a former convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.

He was County Cadet Commandant for Fife from 1952 to 1965, Brigade President of the Boys' Brigade from 1966 to 1985, and Grand Master Mason of Scotland from 1961 to 1965.^[17]

He is a Freeman of Bridgetown, Regina, Saskatchewan, Port Elgin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, St. Thomas, Ontario, and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Lord Elgin is a Past President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, and is the Life President of the Broomhall Curling Club. He skippered the Scottish curling teams that defeated the Governor-General of Canada's teams in a series of matches in Ottawa in 1982.^[18]

Lord Elgin is Chief of Clan Bruce and President of the Bruce Family Organization^[19] which is the main association for members of the Bruce family.

Honours

Country	Ribbon	Description	Notes
Scotland		Order of the Thistle (KT)	Knight 1981
United Kingdom		1939–1945 Star
United Kingdom		France and Germany Star
United Kingdom		Defence Medal
United Kingdom		War Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	1953
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal	1977 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal	2022 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		King Charles III Coronation Medal	2023 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Cadet Forces Medal	July 1963
United Kingdom		Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)	1981 With 4 Clasps

Honorary military appointments

Military Branch	Date	Regiment	Position
Canadian Army	1970 – present	31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins)	Colonel-in-Chief^[20]
British Army	1976–1986	153 (Highland) Transport Regiment (TA)	Honorary Colonel
Canadian Army		No. 7 (St. Thomas) Royal Canadian Army Cadets	Honorary Colonel

Family

In 1959 he married Victoria Mary Usher and they have five children:

Lady Georgina Mary Bruce, (born 4 June 1960)
Charles Edward Bruce, Lord Bruce DL, (born 19 October 1961); was married (29 July 1990–1996) to Amanda Leigh Grimes née Movius^[21] with three children; Antonia Jean Bruce (born 14 December 1990), James Andrew Charles Robert Bruce, Master of Bruce (born 16 November 1991) and George Benjamin Thomas Bruce (born 5 July 1993). Bruce later married Dr Alice Enders on 5 May 2001 and, following a divorce, Sheree Cosgrove on 19 August 2023
Lady Antonia Katherine Bruce, (born 30 August 1964); married Marcel Ballot (1989–)^[22]
The Hon. Adam Robert Bruce CStJ WS, (born 18 January 1968); married Donna Maria-Sofia Giovanna Rose Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte (17 May 2003–) with two children; Robert Frederick Angelo Bruce (born 7 January 2007) and Orlando Antonio Andrew Bruce (born 12 September 2008)
The Hon. Alexander Victor Bruce, (born 31 March 1971); married Victoria M. Bythell on 26 September 1998

The Countess of Elgin and Kincardine was the Patron of both the Royal Caledonian Ball and Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University.^[23] The Earl succeeded to the earldoms and other family titles on the death of his father in 1968.^{[citation needed]}

The Earl celebrated his 100th birthday on the 17 February 2024.^[24] He was interviewed by the BBC as part of a project to record the memories of Second World War veterans, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6 June 2024.^[25]

On 15 November 2024, Bruce's wife of sixty-five years, Victoria, Countess of Elgin, died aged eighty-five.^[26]

Notes

^ "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 19 February 1924. p. 1.
^ Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001). Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain: together with members of the titled and non-titled contemporary establishment Edition 19, Burke's Peerage, ISBN 0-9711966-0-5. p. 104
^ "An Important Baby". Gentlewoman. 1 March 1924. p. 21. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
^ "Lord Elgin's Heir Christened Big Assembly at Broomhall". Dundee Courier. 1 April 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
^ "Earl of Elgin's Heir". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 2 April 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
^ "BBC - WW2 People's War - The Breakout: Part 1 (To Normandy with the 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards)". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 June 2006.
^ "No. 36206". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 October 1943. p. 4499.
^ "No. 37767". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1946. p. 5256.
^ "No. 39274". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1951. p. 3613.
^ "No. 43051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1963. p. 5882.
^ "No. 43652". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 May 1965. p. 4854.
^ "No. 43712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1965. p. 6726.
^ Video on YouTube
^ "Lord Elgin: Defender of aristocratic adventure and national treasures". The Independent. 17 January 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^ Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
^ "New appointments to the Order of the Thistle". The Royal Household of the Queen. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^ "Conservatives at the heart of Freemasonry". The Independent. 31 October 1995. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009.
^ Video on YouTube
^ "familyofbruce.org - Family of Bruce International, Inc. - About Us". familyofbruce.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
^ Video on YouTube
^ "Infamous fraudster Lady Bruce vows to return to Scotland". Deadline News. 28 February 2010.
^ "cracroftspeerage.co.uk". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
^ "Patronesses". Royal Caledonian Ball. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
^ "From Scotland, 100-year-old chief of Clan Bruce hails 'swift and true' Waterloo squadron". The Record. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^ "'The German army blew up a cup of tea next to me'". BBC News. London. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
^ Victoria ELGIN Obituary

References

Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, ^{[page needed]}
"Who's Who" (2011 edition). A & C Black Publishers Ltd; 163rd Revised edition (6 December 2010)

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Elgin
Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin

Masonic offices
Preceded by The Earl of Eglinton	Grand Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1961–1965	Succeeded by Sir Ronald Orr-Ewing
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir John Gilmour	Lord Lieutenant of Fife 1987–1999	Succeeded by Margaret Dean
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Edward Bruce	Earl of Elgin Earl of Kincardine 1968–present	Incumbent
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Kinnoull	Gentlemen The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Elgin & Kincardine	Succeeded by The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Wemyss & March

[births-1] "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 19 February 1924. p. 1.

[2] Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001). Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain: together with members of the titled and non-titled contemporary establishment Edition 19, Burke's Peerage, ISBN 0-9711966-0-5. p. 104

[3] "An Important Baby". Gentlewoman. 1 March 1924. p. 21. Retrieved 22 November 2024.

[4] "Lord Elgin's Heir Christened Big Assembly at Broomhall". Dundee Courier. 1 April 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2024.

[5] "Earl of Elgin's Heir". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 2 April 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2024.

[6] "BBC - WW2 People's War - The Breakout: Part 1 (To Normandy with the 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards)". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 June 2006.

[7] "No. 36206". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 October 1943. p. 4499.

[8] "No. 37767". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1946. p. 5256.

[9] "No. 39274". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1951. p. 3613.

[10] "No. 43051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1963. p. 5882.

[11] "No. 43652". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 May 1965. p. 4854.

[12] "No. 43712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1965. p. 6726.

[13] Video on YouTube

[14] "Lord Elgin: Defender of aristocratic adventure and national treasures". The Independent. 17 January 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2023.

[15] Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

[16] "New appointments to the Order of the Thistle". The Royal Household of the Queen. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

[17] "Conservatives at the heart of Freemasonry". The Independent. 31 October 1995. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009.

[18] Video on YouTube

[19] "familyofbruce.org - Family of Bruce International, Inc. - About Us". familyofbruce.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2011.

[20] Video on YouTube

[21] "Infamous fraudster Lady Bruce vows to return to Scotland". Deadline News. 28 February 2010.

[22] "cracroftspeerage.co.uk". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2019.

[23] "Patronesses". Royal Caledonian Ball. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.

[24] "From Scotland, 100-year-old chief of Clan Bruce hails 'swift and true' Waterloo squadron". The Record. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

[25] "'The German army blew up a cup of tea next to me'". BBC News. London. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

[26] Victoria ELGIN Obituary

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v t e Current members of the Order of the Thistle
Sovereign	The King
Extra Knights and Ladies	The Princess Royal The Duke of Rothesay The Queen The Duke of Edinburgh
Knights and Ladies	The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine The Lord Mackay of Clashfern The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn The Lord Steel of Aikwood The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk The Lord Hope of Craighead The Lord Patel The Lord Smith of Kelvin The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry Sir Ian Wood Lady Elish Angiolini Sir George Reid The Baroness Black of Strome The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws Sir Geoff Palmer
Officers	David Fergusson (Dean) The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (Chancellor) Joseph Morrow (Lord Lyon King of Arms, ex officio) Elizabeth Roads (Secretary) Christopher Layman (Green Rod, ex officio)