British Raj North-West Frontier Police, India

[Harry Fecitt]

Indian Police with District Commissioner Colonel C.E. Bruce CIE,OBE in Kohat, North-West Frontier Province

This may interest some Members

[paul wood]

Thanks Harry, do you have a rough date for this picture.

Paul

[Harry Fecitt]

I guess late 1940s but I may be wrong.

Bruce may have stayed on in Pakistan after Partition.

He wrote: http://archive.org/details/waziristan193619031345mbp

If you can find his obituary then you should be able to date it.

I found it on the RGS website under photos when I searched for C.E. Bruce.

It ls about the only photo of his (and there are other police ones) where the RGS watermark doesn't show.

Harry

[paul wood]

Harry, thanks for the download, I see O'Dwyer (of the Caxton Hall murder fame) was involved in the foreward.

For your info. I enclose the write up from DNWs sale of 7 December 2005 (his father's medals were also included in the auction). As he died in 1950 suspect no later than WWII when there was quite a lot fun occuring on the NWF

An interesting ‘Afghanistan 1919’ C.I.E., ‘Waziristan’ Civil C.B.E., and ‘North
West Frontier’ Military O.B.E. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel C.
E. Bruce, C.S.I., C.I.E., C.B.E., Indian Political Department

The Most
Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge,
gold and enamels; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Civil)
Commander’s 1st type neck badge; O.B.E. (Military) 1st type breast badge; China
1900, no clasp (Lieutt. C. E. Bruce, 26th Baluch Infy.); British War and Victory
Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Maj. C. E. Bruce); India General Service 1908-35,
2 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1921-24 (Maj. C. E. Brues, Pol.
Dept.) note garbled spelling of surname on this; Delhi Durbar 1911, unnamed, the
last six on original court mounting as worn, good very fine (8) £1200-1500

Footnote

O.B.E. (Military) London Gazette 22 March 1919: Military
operations on the North West Frontier of India.

C.I.E. London Gazette 3
August 1920: Military operations in Afghanistan.

C.B.E. (Civil) London
Gazette 3 June 1925: For services as Deputy Commissioner, Dera Ismail Khan, N.W.
Province.

C.S.I. London Gazette 1 March 1929.

M.I.D. London
Gazette 30 April 1919 (North West Frontier), 14 May 1920 (North West Frontier),
and 12 April 1921 (Afghanistan).

Charles Edward Bruce was born on 23
March 1876, third son of Richard Isaac Bruce (see Lot 378). Educated at
Wellington College and R.M.C. Sandhurst, he joined the Lancashire Fusiliers as
2nd Lieutenant in 1896, and transferred to the Indian Army the following year,
being posted to the 24th Baluchistan Regiment. He served in China with a draft
of the 24th, attached to the 26th Baluchis, at Pekin in 1900 (Medal), and later
took part in the operations on the North West Frontier against the Darwesh Khel
Wazirs in 1902.He served on the North West Frontier during the Great War, with
the Marri Punitive Force from March to June 1918 (O.B.E.). He served in
Afghanistan and on the North West Frontier in 1919 (despatches, C.I.E.), and in
Waziristan in 1923 (despatches twice, C.B.E.) and again, as Officiating
Resident, in 1926 (C.S.I.). His last appointment was as A.G.G. and Chief
Commissioner in Baluchistan, 1930. Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce died in England on
24 January 1950.

All the best,

Paul

An interesting ‘Afghanistan 1919’ C.I.E., ‘Waziristan’ Civil C.B.E., and ‘North
West Frontier’ Military O.B.E. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel C.
E. Bruce, C.S.I., C.I.E., C.B.E., Indian Political Department

The Most
Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge,
gold and enamels; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Civil)
Commander’s 1st type neck badge; O.B.E. (Military) 1st type breast badge; China
1900, no clasp (Lieutt. C. E. Bruce, 26th Baluch Infy.); British War and Victory
Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Maj. C. E. Bruce); India General Service 1908-35,
2 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1921-24 (Maj. C. E. Brues, Pol.
Dept.) note garbled spelling of surname on this; Delhi Durbar 1911, unnamed, the
last six on original court mounting as worn, good very fine (8) £1200-1500

Footnote

O.B.E. (Military) London Gazette 22 March 1919: Military
operations on the North West Frontier of India.

C.I.E. London Gazette 3
August 1920: Military operations in Afghanistan.

C.B.E. (Civil) London
Gazette 3 June 1925: For services as Deputy Commissioner, Dera Ismail Khan, N.W.
Province.

C.S.I. London Gazette 1 March 1929.

M.I.D. London
Gazette 30 April 1919 (North West Frontier), 14 May 1920 (North West Frontier),
and 12 April 1921 (Afghanistan).

Charles Edward Bruce was born on 23
March 1876, third son of Richard Isaac Bruce (see Lot 378). Educated at
Wellington College and R.M.C. Sandhurst, he joined the Lancashire Fusiliers as
2nd Lieutenant in 1896, and transferred to the Indian Army the following year,
being posted to the 24th Baluchistan Regiment. He served in China with a draft
of the 24th, attached to the 26th Baluchis, at Pekin in 1900 (Medal), and later
took part in the operations on the North West Frontier against the Darwesh Khel
Wazirs in 1902.He served on the North West Frontier during the Great War, with
the Marri Punitive Force from March to June 1918 (O.B.E.). He served in
Afghanistan and on the North West Frontier in 1919 (despatches, C.I.E.), and in
Waziristan in 1923 (despatches twice, C.B.E.) and again, as Officiating
Resident, in 1926 (C.S.I.). His last appointment was as A.G.G. and Chief
Commissioner in Baluchistan, 1930. Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce died in England on
24 January 1950.

[Harry Fecitt]

Paul

Many thanks - I was miles out with the date.

I believe that the record is incorrect on two points.

Bruce was the Political Officer for the Marri Field Force, Baluchistan in 1918 and I believe that both his 1919 MiD and his OBE relate to that duty.

Was there an illustration of his medals?

Harry

[paul wood]

I have checked the hard copy just to be sure but alas no picture.

Paul