Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A well-documented Second World War group of three awarded to Flight Lieutenant J. N. G. Bruce, Royal Air Force, a Coastal Command navigator who was killed in action in a gallant depth-charge attack against the U-539 on 4 October 1943: his pilot, Wing Commander R. M. Longmore, O.B.E., pressed home his attack although two of his Liberator’s engines had been set on fire by the U-boat’s flak gunners, thereby damaging his target before his aircraft plunged into the sea and exploded on impact

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, extremely fine (3) £1200-1500

John Nigel G. Bruce, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel K. H. Bruce, D.S.O., commenced training as an Air Observer in November 1940, qualified in April 1941 and was posted to No. 210 Squadron at Oban in July 1941, in which unit, with the exception of attendance at Bomber Leader courses and periods of rest, he more or less remained until transferring to No. 120 Squadron in May 1943. During that period he had at least two encounters with U-boats, his Catalina, captained by Flight Lieutenant Hatfield, delivering a depth-charge attack on 19 July 1941, and again on 11 September 1941, when captained by Flight Lieutenant Wheeler on a flight from Archangel to Invergordon.

Then in May 1943, having converted to Liberators, he joined No. 120 Squadron, in which unit, often as navigator to Wing Commander R. M. Longmore, O.B.E., he completed around another 15 sorties, but on 4 October 1943, as described in U-Boat versus Aircraft, by Norman Franks and Eric Zimmerman, he and his crew were killed in action during a gallant depth-charge strike against the U-539:

‘Another high ranking airman was less fortunate than Roger Mead on 4 October. Wing Commander R. M. Longmore, the squadron commander, was piloting a Liberator V of 120 Squadron (“V-Victor”) on this date from Rekyavik, having taken off at 0935.

Their task was to provide escort for convoy ONS19 (Britain to Halifax, Nova Scotia - slow). Some time around 1130 base received a message, which read: “TOO 11.30 A - 465 - TZT - 2500 - 472 - 1 - FLR’, which was corrupt but which meant: ‘Am over U-boat on surface’, but giving a corrupt position. “FLR’ may possibly have been corrupt for FLAK, but in any event the aircraft did not return. The actual position was believed to have been 6375/2850.

After exchanging gunfire with a surfaced U-boat which Longmore found, he decided to make an attack run but his Liberator was hit during the approach. Both starboard engines were set on fire but he completed his attack. The stick of D/Cs overshot and caused the boat - U-539 (Oberleutnant Hans-Jurgen Lauterbach-Emden) - only slight damage, and one crewman was slightly wounded. U-539 reported the action at 1138 in position AD5769. This submarine, of course, was the one which had so nearly shot down Peter Brame and his Hudson crew back on 21 September. This time the flak gunners had done better.’

In his companion work, Search, Find and Kill, Franks confirms that “V-Victor” plunged into the sea immediately after the attack, exploding on impact. Such information was not, however, then available to the C.O. of the R.A.F. Station at Reykjavik, who wrote to Bruce’s father on 8 October 1943:

‘You will already have received official notification that John is missing. It was with most profound regret that I had to initiate this action. Every possible effort has been made to find the crew of the aircraft in which he was navigator, but with no success.

They were out U-boat hunting, and we received a wireless message from which we deduced they were about to carry out an attack. After that, we heard no more and, as we could not get replies to our messages, we warned other aircraft in the area to keep a look-out for them, in case they had had to take to their dinghies.

As soon as we could, we instituted a search, which we intensified the next day, and continued until we were sure they were not still afloat. We have not been able to find them, but it is quite possible that they were picked up by an enemy submarine, as of course they were well equipped with rubber boats and other life saving apparatus.

We shall miss John if he does not get back to us, especially his whimsical sense of humour and his drawings and paintings. Among his duties, he was particularly useful, in fact, irreplaceable as Bombing Leader, and his efforts contributed very considerably to the success of the squadron.

He was of course his Squadron Commander’s navigator and was flying with him (Wing Commander Longmore) on the flight in question.

I sincerely hope we shall hear that he has been picked up, and you have my complete sympathy in your anxiety.

In the meantime, I have made arrangements for the safeguarding of his personal belongings, and they will be collected, listed and forwarded to the R.A.F. Central Depositor at Colnbrook, who will communicate with you in due course.’






Sold with a large quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s Flying Log Book, covering the period November 1940 to September 1943, the last entry being dated the 30th of the latter month, for an A.S.R. search with Longmore, and the following page being officially endorsed “Death Presumed” (R.A.F. Central Depository, Feb. 1947), together with his R.A.F. Sight Log Book 1940-43, with inscription ‘R.A.F. Station Reykjavik, Bruce J.N.G., F./Lt.’ and similarly endorsed “Death Presumed”, this rare item having being used to take sun readings because of the Arctic magnetic pull; a poignant series of correspondence regarding the recipient’s loss in action, including a handwritten letter from Longmore’s successor, dated at Reykjavik on 7 October 1943 (‘The Wing Commander who knew him on his previous squadron thought very highly of him indeed, and took him in his own crew, despite my own efforts to get him for mine’), the above quoted letter from the C.O. of the R.A.F. Sation at Reykjavik, and another from the Station’s chaplain, dated 27 October 1943, a letter from the R.A.F’s Casualty Branch, London, dated 21 October 1943 (‘Enquiries are being made through the International Red Cross ... ’), a letter from the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund, dated 22 October 1943, an Air Ministry letter confirming that no further messages had been received from the recipient’s aircraft once the attack had been commenced at 11.30 hours, this dated 15 December 1943, Buckingham Palace message of sympathy, and R.A.F. Central Depository forwarding letter for his Flying Log Book and Sight Log Book, dated 14 February 1947; together with a selection of the recipient’s wartime watercolours of Coastal Command aircraft (11), quite possibly as returned in his personal effects from No. 120 Squadron, for, as stated above by his C.O. in his letter of condolence, Bruce was noted for his drawing and painting; and a wartime crew photograph taken while serving in No. 210 Squadron, the reverse signed by them.