Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine (born 17 February 1924), styled Lord Bruce before 1968, is a Scottish peer and Chief of

Clan Bruce Clan Bruce ( gd, Brùs) is a Lowlands Scottish clan. It was a Royal House in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland (Robert the Bruce and David II of Scotland), and a disputed High King of Ireland, Edward Bruce. Origins The surname ' ...

Background and education

The eldest son of

Edward Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin Edward James Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin, 14th Earl of Kincardine KT, CMG, TD, CD, JP (9 June 1881 – 27 November 1968) was the son of Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin who became Assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary State for the Colo ...

and

the Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Katherine Elizabeth Cochrane, daughter of the Baron Cochrane of Cults, he was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford. On 12 September 1943, Bruce was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Armoured) Bn

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

and was wounded during

Operation Bluecoat Operation Bluecoat was a British offensive in the Battle of Normandy, from 30 July until 7 August 1944, during the Second World War. The geographical objectives of the attack, undertaken by VIII Corps and XXX Corps of the British Second Army ...

, the break out from Normandy in August 1944. He was invalided out of the army on 24 October 1946, with the honorary rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. On 4 April 1951, he was appointed an instructor in the

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

, with the rank of Lieutenant. In July 1963, by then the County Cadet Commandant for Fife, he was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal. He resigned his commission on 19 April 1965, retaining the honorary rank of

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

. Since 1970, he has been Colonel-in-Chief of the

31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins) 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (31 CER or "The Elgin's"), is currently a combat engineer regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, supporting 31 Canadian Brigade Group of the 4th Canadian Division (formerly Land Force Central Area). It consists of two ...

, and was Honorary Colonel of the

153 (Highland) Transport Regiment 153rd (Highland) Transport Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport, was a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom. History The regiment was formed from 433 (Forth) Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport in 1967. It consisted of three tran ...

from 1976 to 1986. Lord Elgin is also the Honorary Colonel of No 7 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, which is affiliated with the Elgin Regiment, but is not part of it. No 7 is the second oldest extant Corps in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets of Canada and one of only two that have colours. The Corps wears distinctive shoulder flashes backed with the Bruce tartan. (Not even the Elgin Regiment wears them.)

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 President of the

Royal Scottish Automobile Club Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

, and the Scottish motor racing team,

Ecurie Ecosse Ecurie Ecosse (French: "Scotland Stable") was a motor racing team from Edinburgh, Scotland. The team was founded in November 1951 by Edinburgh businessman and racing driver David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson. Its most notable achievem ...

. 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 The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Scottish monarch's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church's role as the national church of ...

and reappointed in 1981. In 1982 HM The Queen installed him as a

Knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. He was awarded the

Canadian Forces Decoration The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters "CD") is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to t ...

in 1981, and the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1994. He is a former Captain of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

and a former convenor of the

Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...

. He was County Cadet Commandant for Fife from 1952 to 1965, Brigade President of the

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

from 1966 to 1985, and Grand Master Mason of Scotland from 1961 to 1965. He is a Freeman of

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, Port Elgin,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, St. Thomas, Ontario, and

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

. Lord Elgin is a Past President of the

Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC), branded as Scottish Curling is a curling club in Edinburgh, Scotland. It developed the first official rules for the sport, and is the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 ...

, 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. Lord Elgin is Chief of

and President of the Bruce Family Organization which is the main association for members of the Bruce family.

Honours

Honorary Military Appointments

Family

In 1959 he married Victoria Mary Usher and they have five children: *Charles Edward Bruce, styled Lord Bruce, married twice: 1) m. 1990 Amanda Grimes ''née'' Movius (divorced 1996) 2) m. 5 July 2001 Dr. Alice Enders *The Hon. Alexander Bruce * The Hon. Adam Bruce *The Lady Georgina Bruce *The Lady Antonia Bruce. The

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Elgin is a

Patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the

Royal Caledonian Ball The Royal Caledonian Ball is a ball held annually in London for the benefit of Scottish charities. With few exceptions, the Royal Caledonian Ball has been held annually since 1849, and is the oldest charity ball in the world. History The ball ...

. The Earl succeeded to the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particula ...

s and other family titles on the death of his father in 1968.

Notes

References

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

External links

*
Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elgin, Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl Of 1924 births Living people 11 15 Knights of the Thistle People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Lord-Lieutenants of Fife Boys' Brigade Scottish Freemasons Members of the Royal Company of Archers

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...