James Bruce

Bank: Royal Bank of Scotland

Place of work: Buckie branch

Died: 28 March 1943

James George Bruce was born on 21 February 1918, the son of George and Helen Garden Bruce. In May 1935, when he was 17 years old, he went to work for the Royal Bank of Scotland as an apprentice at its Buckie branch. In 1938 he was temporarily transferred to Forres branch, although he appears to have been back at Buckie by the time he left the bank to go on military service in July 1940.

Bruce became a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for great devotion to duty in a low-level daylight attack on Bremen in July 1941.

Flying Officer Bruce was killed in a daylight raid over enemy territory on 28 March 1943. He was 25 years old.

James Bruce is commemorated on a bank war memorial at 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.