Arthur Frederick BRUCE

27 April 1917

BRUCE - March 25th 1917, killed in action on the Western Front, Pte. Arthur Bruce, West Yorkshire Regiment, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Frederick Bruce, 3, Ermysted Street, Skipton, aged 22 years.

27 April 1917

SKIPTON'S ROLL OF HONOUR - PRIVATE ARTHUR BRUCE

The name of Private Arthur Bruce, of the West Yorkshire Regiment, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Frederick Bruce, of 3, Ermysted Street, Skipton, has also to be added to Skipton's Roll of Honour, official news of his death in action on March 25th having been received this week from the Infantry Records Office, York. A letter from an Army Chaplain indicated that he was killed by shellfire whilst on duty in the trenches, and was afterwards buried in the Military cemetery. Of a quiet and unassuming nature, deceased was a young man of sterling character, and the Army Chaplain, Second-Lieut. A. Dixon, and Lance-Corpl. T. Coats all pay splendid tributes to his memory in their letters, and state that he died as a brave man doing his duty. Lance-Corpl. Coats also says:- "I think I can safely say that Arthur was respected by every member of our Platoon, particularly by Sergeant Lunn, the Platoon sergeant, who, I can assure you, thought as much about him as if he were his own boy."

Lieut. Dixon mentions that deceased was in company with others, acting as a covering party, when he was struck by a shell and killed instantaneously, and added:- "He was a most conscientious worker, always cheerful, and was beloved by all the men, and I feel that I have lost one of my best men. The news will come as a great shock to you but you have the satisfaction of knowing that your son died one of the noblest of deaths."

Pte. Bruce was 22 years of age, and in civil life was a grocer's assistant in a shop at Keighley belonging to the firm of Messrs. Carr Ltd., Skipton. He was associated with the Skipton Baptist Church. He had been in the Army about 18 months and at the Front about ten months In his letter lance-Corporal Coats also mentions that deceased first went into the trenches on August 17th last year, and that he had returned to this duty several times since.

26 October 1917

IN MEMORIAM - BROUGHAM STREET SCHOOL HEROES

At the Congregational Church, Skipton, on Tuesday evening, an impressive musical service was held in memory of the teachers and old scholars of the Brougham Street Council School who have fallen in the first three years of the war. Particulars of the deaths of these brave lads have appeared in our columns from time to time, and their names are as follows:- Willie Barraclough, C.D. Bennett (teacher), Arthur Bruce, Sam Cairns, Cyril Calvert, Ennie Clarke, Tom Clarke, Harry Ingham, Tom Langman, Reggie Pollard, Lewis Sedgwick, Joe Stewart, Harry Tindall (teacher), and J.W. Varley.

There was a large and sympathetic congregation, including relatives of those in whose honour the service was held. Conducted jointly by the Rev. L.H. Gaunt and Mr. A. Townsend (headmaster of the school), the service, in addition to special prayers, hymns, collects, &c., comprised anthems by the Brougham Street School Old Scholars' Choir (under the direction of Mr. Townsend), solos by Miss D. Wear and Mr. Clifford Townsend, and an address by Mr. Gaunt.

In a few introductory remarks Mr. Townsend explained the object of the service, which he said was one of praise rather than of sorrow for the splendour of the lives that had been laid down. - The anthems were 'O God, protect with Thy strong hand' (Greig), 'Rest for the Weary' (Gounod), 'The Lord is my Shepherd' (Smart), and 'Peace to the Souls of the Heroes' (Callcott), and in all these and in Nicholson's setting of the 'Magnificat' the girls' voices blended with pleasing effect, the singing being marked by a very fine tone and clear enunciation, showing evidence of careful training. Miss D. Wear sang most acceptably the exacting solo 'I know that my Redeemer' (Handel) and Mr. Clifford Townsend gave a meritorious interpretation of 'The trumpet shall sound' (Handel). In addition to playing the organ accompaniments with the customary taste and efficiency, Mr. W.H. Green contributed as a solo the 'Hallelujah Chorus.'

In his address the Rev. L.H. Gaunt expressed his pleasure that the Congregational Church should have been used for a service of that kind and said he would rejoice if it could be used more frequently for public gatherings in which not only comparatively small circle of their own congregation might join, but in which the whole town might feel that it had some part. He also expressed his agreement with what Mr. Townsend had said as to the view they ought to take of the death of their boys, and said he felt that the Bishop of London - despite the fact that he had been taken to task for his expression of opinion - was right when he said that they ought not to think of the death of their boys as sheer calamity and overwhelming sorrow. They ought to think of them as having made a sacrifice bravely and heroically at the call of their country and for humanity, and those who were left behind to cherish their memory would honour them best by thinking of that sacrifice as a victory and not as a disaster; and their remembrance of them should come as a call to follow their example, to live so that they would be worthy of the sacrifice of their loved ones, and to bring to their lives into harmony with the great high note that they had struck in their sacrifice. They thanked God for what their boys had done and suffered, and most of all for what they had been and were now, and to ask His grace to follow in their train.

A collection was taken on behalf of the proposed new memorial of the Brougham Street School, which will probably take the form of a scholarship fund.

30 November 1917

SKIPTON BAPTISTS' MEMORIAL TO SOLDIERS

On Tuesday afternoon a three days' sale of work was commenced in the Baptist School, Otley Street, Skipton, in aid of the Soldiers' Memorial Extension Fund, by means of which it is intended to extend the premises in memory of the young men associated with the place who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the war. Seventy young men belonging to the church and school are at present serving with the Colours, of whom two, H. Maudsley (deacon and Sunday School superintendent) and H. Birch have been missing since May 3rd and August 17th respectively, while the following have given their lives in the great cause:- S. Bishop, J. McIntyre, J. Duckworth, G.A. Wilson, H. Greenwood, D. Collins, B. Peel (Sunday School secretary), H. Scott, A. Bruce, J. Metcalfe, A. Gill, W. Barraclough, E. Platt and W. Ireland...