John Robert Bruce (abt. 1821 - 1893)

Born about 1821 in Scotland, United Kingdom [uncertain]

Husband of Bridget Margaret (Quinn) Bruce — married 1 Nov 1864 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died 1 Feb 1893 at about age 72 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia

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Biography

John (Robert) Bruce was born in or about 1821 . He family is believed to have been originally from Scotland . His father's name was Luke Bruce . His father's occupation was noted in John Bruce's marriage registration but unfortunately is not legible ("glassgrinder"?).

The Dictionary of Western Australians suggests that he had a first wife named Agnes who died on 20 June 1864. This detail may relate to another John Bruce: see notes at end.

While in the Navy our John Bruce injured his leg falling from a mast . This occurred in the Crimean War .

He left the Navy and got a job as a ship's pilot at Thurso in the far north of Scotland. He did this for a few years .]

He migrated to Western Australia or came to Western Australia as a seaman.

The Dictionary of Western Australians says that he arrived as a Pensioner Guard, however he is not listed in the index of Pensioner Guards .

On arrival in Western Australia, according to Robert Bruce, his ship was ship-wrecked near Australind/Bunbury. John Bruce and another man walked up the beach to Fremantle to get help . This walk hurt his already injured leg . His leg had to be amputated in Perth without anaesthetic .

According to a family story (Bill Williams), he was in a two room hospital and when the Governor entered the room on a tour (could this be his name-sake Acting Governor John Bruce?), the Governor recognised John Bruce and said: Don't I know you from somewhere. John Bruce said, yes I served under you. The governor said, when you get out of here I will find you a job. This is the way he got a job as a seaman.

Bridget McGregor (Quinn) lived in St George's Terrace and John Bruce lived in Plain Street.

There is a family story that John Bruce and Bridget McGregor met in a tent hospital when they were both patients. John Bruce was recovering from his amputated leg and Bridget was recovering from the loss of her arm. How Bridget lost her arm is not known. They used to joke that they belonged together because one had lost a leg and the other had lost an arm.

John Bruce, "seaman", married Bridget Margaret Mcgregor (nee Quinn) on 1 November 1864 in St George's Cathedral, the Perth Cathedral of the Church of England . Refer to notes on Bridget Quinn. Bridget could not write her name and marked the register with a cross.

He was put in charge of a boat which transported supplies from Fremantle to Perth . This must have been a government boat as in the birth certificates of Alexander and Alice, John was described as a "Government Coxswain" (1865) and "Coxswain Government Boat" (1867). At the time, there were a large number of government flat boats and barges used to transport cargo from the ships which sought shelter at the anchorage either at the mouth of the Swan River or in times of storms, at Careening Bay, Garden Island. These boats would ply between the ships and Fremantle and Perth. These boats were also used to transport limestone and salt from Rottnest to the Colony.

A son, Alexander Bruce (later called Robert Bruce) was born on 2 August 1865 at Perth . One child, Anne, died in 1866 . Another daughter Alice was born on 4 October 1867 at Perth.

At some point he was given a supervisory position over convicts or ticket of leave men. He was put in charge of convicts when they built the Town Hall .

He became a "warder" . He was in charge of prisoners who probably lived on the corner of Spring Street and Mounts Bay Road , and who were overseen by warders who lived in the "Barracks" . John Bruce probably lived in the guard house on the SW corner of Hay Street and Barrack Street.

At first he was bringing up freight on barges from ships.

In 1871 he is referred to in The Inquirer & Commercial News (8 March 1871 page 3) as receiving 3 shillings and 3 shillings and 6 pence for transporting by boat bluestone from Guildford to the Causeway and to the jetty. Again in The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Times he is noted as having presented a bill for 9 pounds, 17 shillings and 4 pence for boating stone.

Later, the work of the convicts was on Western Australia's first dredge at Fremantle and in the Swan River. John Bruce's Navy experience gave him the skills necessary to operate the dredge and he was put in charge of it. He was called or called himself "Captain" Bruce .

The first dredge was imported in parts from England in 1867 and was put together on the site now occupied by the East Street Jetty at East Fremantle by local labour including Solomon Cook, under the supervision of a man called Christian who was sent out with the dredge. Her dimensions were 90 x 24 x 4 feet. Her engine was a single cylinder steam engine fitted with a 9 foot diameter flywheel which allowed her to work up to 30 HP. The engine was made by Maudsley, Son and Field of London. The buckets worked through the centre of the dredge which made her impractical for shallow water work. The dredge drew 5 feet of water but in Perth Water, the depth was only 3 feet. This meant that convicts had to get in the water and dig ahead of the dredge in order to move it. Because of this problem, the dredge was laid up for a while not being worked. By August 1868 businessmen in Perth were demanding that something be done but nothing happened until 1871. At that time the dredge was commissioned to dredge channels from the deep water to William Street Jetty and other small channels in Perth Water. The dredge was laid up again in 1880. Later the dredge was named "Black Swan" .

So John Bruce was probably in charge of the dredge from 1871 to 1880. He is noted as having employed a ticket of leave boatman in 1871 . While John Bruce was in charge of the dredge, he and his family lived on the dredge. The dredge was moored at the foot of Barrack Street .

A criminal case is recorded in The Western Australian Times newspaper of 11 May 1875 in Police News for 30 April 1875 in the following terms:

"Patrick Rearden, Chas. Dale, and John Crossley, p. prs. were charged with absconding from the Dredge, and violently assaulting p.c. Cable in the execution of his duty, and Henry Smith, p.c. and John Holland, t.l. were charged with aiding and abbeting them. After the hearing of the constables evidence, and that of John Bruce, who was in charge of the Dredge, His Wor-ship decided in discharging Dale and Smith, and remanding the other three prisoners for further enquiry. Reardon pleaded guilty at the opening of the case, and stated that he was alone in the enterprise."

John is described in the Dictionary of Western Australians as a "Boat Warder". He is noted as having employed a servant in 1888.

After working on the dredge or other boats he supervised parklands .

His home in Plain Street was one of the few homes in the area with a well, and he used to charge neighbours a penny if they wanted a bucket of water from the well.

John Bruce died on 1 February 1893 of carcinoma . In his death certificate he was described as being a Retired Warder aged 72.

[John Bruce should not be confused with Captain then Major then Lt Colonel John Bruce who became Acting Governor of Western Australia in the late 1860s, owned "Nedlands", lived at Gallop House and after whom Bruce Street Nedlands and Mt Bruce were named. He died in 1870.

John Bruce and his family also should not be confused with that of a Robert or James Bruce, who according to the Dictionary of Western Australians was a boatman and "RC", son of John, married Anna Donegan daughter of Daniel on 11 August 1852 in Perth, who had the following children: David Alexander born 1853, Balbina, born 1855, Robert born 1 March 1858 , James Robert born ? (baptised RC) died at the age of 1 year and 4 months on 25 March 1861 (death registered under the name Robert James ), Stephen born 1860, died 1861. His wife was also probably the mother of Agnes who was born in 1863 and died on 20 June 1864 at 16 months.

Also, he should not be confused with the convict called John Bruce . This John Bruce does not seem to have been recorded after 1854, nor his departure from the colony nor his death.]

Sources

Death certificate Marriage certificate Information provided in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s by Ivy Roberts, Bridie, Robert Bruce, Hilda Tilbrook, Bill Williams. Dictionary of Western Australians.