Bruce Logan (1886 - 1965) was born in Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England and was a renowned sportman, primarily for rowing but also for boxing and rugby.
Of all of the personalities that I have researched in the family history, I think Bruce is my favourite. Firstly, the easy one, is that there is quite a lot of information available and not just on one specific topic so that provides some depth to his personality and different aspects of his life. Secondly, he seemed to be a larger than life character. He was a world class athlete, had very good looks, military bearing, a no nonsense outlook and an impatience with lesser beings. He oozed manliness.
I imagine him gliding into a room full of high society and setting women's bosoms heaving and pulses racing and completely oblivious to the envious looks of the men.
Bruce was my great uncle - brother to my paternal grandfather, Morris.
Early Days
Bruce was born in the Cambridge suburb of Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England in 1886. He was the sixth of nine children to John Maxwell Logan and Alice Mary née Bullard - and there were five boys and four girls.
I can only find that, according to the 1901 Census, Bruce was a boarder, when aged 15, at 'The High School' in Blackpool, Lancashire, which, even now, seems somewhat of an impoverished area when looked at on Google - not that that automatically means he received an inferior education but it is a far cry from the Perse at Cambridge where many men of the family had attended. Nor, does it seem that he attended university. Nor, I would assume, did his school have any rowing teams associated with it.
At Cambridge Guildhall
I love this little article - it is strange to think of them as children and getting dressed up. Bruce would have been 16, Gladwys 14 and Morris (Da) would have been 9. There was a list of hundreds of children that attended. (Bruce attending as London-Scottish which was the regiment that he apparently joined, that he may have already enlisted with the Cadet Corps.)
Max, his eldest sibling, attended Tettenhall College and then Cambridge University. However, when Bruce reached the age to attend school, the family business had probably begun to struggle, belts were being well tightened, and the choice of affordable schools for Bruce - and the younger Morris - may have been very narrow.
So it was lucky that his father, an accomplished rower himself, had the boat building business in Cambridge at least when Bruce was young so that his athletic talent could come to the fore.
The family moved up to London in the early 1900s (1902-1903) from Cambridge after the collapse of the business. I would think that he joined the Thames Rowing Club soon after the move and the move may have been a blessing in disguise. While his educational prospects narrowed through the family's impecunious situation, London high society was to welcome him regardless, through his athletic achievements and, of course, his good looks and strong personality.
I have a reference (probably from the 1960s) that states Bruce joined the London Scottish Rifle Volunteers in 1903 and/or the Gordon Highlanders. As he would have been seventeen, I imagine he would have enlisted as a cadet as the London Scottish RV had a Cadet Corps formed around 1902. (While this makes perfect sense - except I don't know what the cross-over is with the Gordon Highlanders as I can't find any official references, the reference I am using also states that Bruce represented Britain in two Olympics and in two events which I do not believe is accurate. He represented Britain at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics in Rowing - Coxed Four and won the Silver Medal.)
To:- Colonel H. Bruce Logan - President, Stevenage Pipe Band.
Formerly of The London Scottish (Gordon Highlanders), having joined the Regiment in 1903.
This little treasure and its origin is elaborated on further along the page.
There is a record of him around 1906 being employed with General Insurance as they fielded an eight rowing crew against a team from local banking institutions. He married Madeline Constance Elliott in 1907 when he was 21 and Madge 27 and his occupation was given as 'Insurance Inspector' - whatever that entailed at that time. His father-in-law was an underwriter in marine insurance with Lloyd's. His best man at the wedding, Robert Walker Roylance, a fellow member of the Thames Rowing Club and later Lieutenant Colonel, became the Chairman of Lloyds in 1936. (Bruce and Madeline had one son, Douglas Bruce, born in 1908, who in turn had two children of his own. I have separated the entry into a another page as it was becoming a bit involved.
Bruce quickly rose to prominence as a young man in London due to his athletic achievements in rowing, boxing and rugby.
In 1908 when London barrister and M.P., George Wilfred Holford-Knight married Christine Logan, she was described as the sister of the well known rower and boxer, Bruce Logan. He was 22 at the time.
Competing in an international regatta at Amsterdam in 1908, Bruce was part of the winning senior fours crew. It was about this time also, that his name was appearing with the added responsibility of being stroke in the various team rowing events - setting the pace for the rest of the crew.
In an article in Sporting Life on 8th June 1910 Bruce is described as Deputy Captain of the Thames Rowing Club - at the age of 24 - so he really did burst upon the rowing scene and was clearly showing leadership and organisational abilities.
From the later obituary issued by the Thames Rowing Club: "Bruce was one of the outstanding oarsmen of his time and was also an amateur heavyweight boxing champion. He rowed for us in the Grand in 1908, 1909, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1919 and 1920, winning the Fawley Cup in 1919. He was a member of the famous Stewards Fours of 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1914, winning in 1909 and 1911 with J. Beresford and K. Vernon. He rowed in the Silver Goblets in 1911, 1912 and 1920. In the semi-final in 1911 he and Rought dead-heated with Beresford and Cloutte in the record time of 8 min. 8 secs., a record that was to stand for very many years. They tossed to see who should row in the final, Beresford and Cloutte won, and won the event by a length and a half. Bruce won the Goblets in 1912. In 1912 also he rowed with Beresford, Vernon and Rought, in a coxed four with W. Carr as cox in the Olympic Games at Stockholm, winning a silver medal. Bruce also won the Thames Cup in 1906."
Winning the Silver Goblets in 1911 and 1912 at the Henley on Thames Rowing Regatta - the premier rowing event in Britain - qualified the team of four to represent Britain in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics in the Coxed Four Rowing event returning home with a Silver medal. (At that time, the selection process was that the most successful team represented Britain, not the best individuals brought together to train as a team.)
(Bruce's rowing partner in the doubles was Charles Gardner Rought who enlisted at the outbreak of war in August 1914 as a Lieutenant and was with the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment in the trenches on the front line within two months. He was captured by an act of treachery by the Germans during an unofficial truce in late December 1914 and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. His death, soon after repatriation, was tragic and senseless - allegedly, from a bad oyster. I imagine, though, that his body and immune system were both badly affected by the years of deprivation. His story can be found here - but it may not be complete, yet!)
As an amateur boxer, Bruce sparred and had exhibition bouts with world renowned amateur and professional boxers and generally held his own. The press wasn't always kind to him saying he was a bit slow but he could take and give out punishment. He remained an amateur heavy-weight and the boxing was originally an off-rowing-season training to maintain fitness and hardness. He remained involved in these two sports, as an administrator after retiring from competition, for the duration of his life.
Unfortunately, this blurry image has been extracted from an almost completely unreadable photograph of a newspaper article so I have no idea when it was published.
The headline is: "Searching for a White Boxing Champion". So glad times have changed!
It looks like Bruce and it was part of the scrapbook in the possession of Ivan, his grandson. The scrapbook likely belonged to Bruce and had been handed down. It is the only image I have seen of him boxing.
Interesting to note that there does not appear to be a "ring" as such but the boundary formed by the spectators.
A description of the Bombardier Billy Wells fight with Bruce appeared in Among the Amateurs, Dec 2 1911. "Remembering how willing Mr. Logan always is, a fine bout was expected, and expectations were realised. Wells looked very fine when he stood upright with extended left and his right held loosely over his chest. The very first punch proved rather unfortunate for Bruce, whose nose suffered badly from a straight left. It appeared the lightest of light taps, yet it transpired that the punch had the effect of breaking Mr. Logan's nose. Wells was scarcely to blame for this as Mr. Logan certainly appeared to run on to his glove. For after this incident the bout was a scientific exhibition pure and simple, Wells giving the amateur any number of chances to show his paces, but for some time after receiving the first punch Bruce was dazed and unable to do other than jog around the ring and flap about with his gloves. Considering the handicap under which the Belsize man was labouring, his display was exceptionally good."
Bombardier Billy Wells
Bombardier Billy Wells was British and British Empire Champion from 1911 until 1919, defending his title fourteen times. In 1911 he became the first Heavyweight to win the Lonsdale Belt, which had been introduced for British champions at all weights in 1909. He was also one of the figures seen striking the gong in the introduction to J. Arthur Rank films. (The gong itself was papier-mâché.)
Amateur Boxing Association Championships - 1911
Profile of Heavy Weight Bruce Logan
Bruce Logan (Belsize B.C.) is well known up river as a skilful wet-bob and a member of the famous Thames R.C. In February of 1909 he reached the final of the Columbia B.C. catch-weight novices, when he lost to J. Higgins (Victoria). His debut in open events resulted in carrying off the German Gym. prize in the following December when he was opposed to J. Parker (German Gym.) and W. Hazel (City Police A.C.). At last year's A.B.A. anniversary he was runner-up to F. Storbeck of South Africa, having previously beaten S. Goodwin (Eastern A.W.A.) and T. J. Leary. Started this season by winning the Poly B.C. catch-weights prize from W. L. W. Leach (Poly.) and H. H. B. Grain (Cambridge A.B.C.).
In the recent Scottish championship he lost after a hard bout to W. Hazel (City Police) in the final. Standing well over 6ft., he is splendidly built for boxing, and is not without the other essentials which go to make champions. Has been doing a lot of training at the up-river resort the Spencer Arms.
Sporting Life - Tuesday 04 April 1911
See details of Bruce's amateur boxing career here and the record of Fred Storbeck, the South African heavy weight who beat him at the ABA Championships in 1910 and not long after turned professional.
London Daily News - Thursday 17 March 1910reporting on the amateur Boxing AssociationChampionships held at Alexandra Palace.
As a young man of around 30, when other sportsmen were still honing their craft, he was described in one article as the Prince of Boxing Referees. (Kent & Sussex Courier - Friday 10 March 1916.) One article also described how he had to enter the ring as the referee to disqualify one of the boxers which would indicate at the time that refereeing was conducted from outside the ring. And he was known for no nonsense and enforcing the rules without too much leeway given.
Still young, he was basically called as an expert witness when a court case was held in relation to determining whether a boxing match that had been organised to play out in Birmingham was actually an illegal prize fight. His evidence amounted to the fact that he had been knocked out four times in one match but remained unhurt! The two boxers had actually been charged and the end result was that it was deemed an illegal prize fight. (The argument by the prosecution was an interesting one: "... that as the boxers were fighting for a very large purse (£1,560), the motivation was to win the match by any means, not to scientifically spar for points. The prosecution also cited the wording of the contract, which stated that the bout was to be fought under "straight Queensberry Rules" which had the word "battle" indicating that the opponents would use anger and brute force, not skill." Wikipedia)
In 1913, Bruce was instrumental with others in organising a rowing crew to visit the 'colonies' in Australia but, unfortunately, the plan was scuttled by rules of the Association that all expenses had to be from within the club itself. It wasn't viable to have no outside help so it was shelved until the rules could be changed.
He managed to breeze into high society at a time when entrée was seemed to be gained or blocked on the simple question of where a person was educated - and my research has only shown a high school education. He was a close intimate with Lady Daisy Warwick and he - and I assume Madge - lived in a cottage within the grounds of Daisy's estate at Easton Lodge at Little Easton, Essex for some time.
An early business partner was Clarence Hatry (1888-1965). (Later, the fall of the Hatry group in September 1929 is cited as a contributing factor to the Wall Street Crash of 1929.) They had a 'scheme' whereby young upper class men who were wanting to borrow against their expected inheritance but could only find one of the two required guarantors, were matched together so they had their one independent guarantor each and then each other as the other guarantor!!! It was a clever scheme and they took in their 5%. Hatry devised the scheme and, according to the book The Threadbare Plea: The Hatry Crash of 1929 it was Bruce's social standing that provided the contacts.
Around the time of the outbreak of the First World War, Daisy Warwick imposed on Bruce to help with a delicate situation that had arisen between her and the Palace/King George V. She asked him to act as a go-between and deal with the Palace's go-between, (Sir) Arthur du Cros (of Dunlop Pneumatic Tyres fame). It was in relation to personal intimate letters written by the late King Edward VII to Daisy Warwick. As a favourite of King Edward, Daisy had exhausted her fortune on entertaining him and his entourage and was in debt. She was demanding asking for money in exchange for the letters or the letters would be published and embarrass the monarchy. I doubt that she would have viewed it as a criminal blackmail but her just due for all the money she had spent and, if not forthcoming, would have had no choice but to sell the letters to the highest bidder - so she was therefore protecting the Monarchy by offering the letters to them first! Bruce did his best on behalf of Daisy and it would appear that he was being followed by MI5 as the Palace didn't want the letters to disappear overseas. With the start of the war, the Palace was able to invoke the Defence of the Realm Act to suppress the activity. The Palace ended up with the letters without paying a penny and Arthur du Cros did the gentlemanly thing and paid off Daisy's debts. (The very shady Frank Harris was also another character involved in this incident on Daisy's side.)
Bruce gained a commission in the army during the First World War where education, again, seemed to be the difference between fighting in the trenches holding a Lee Enfield rifle or fighting in the trenches holding an officers pistol. I am sure the officer selection process underwent changes at this time due to the sheer urgency of numbers required of officers and other ranks and that Bruce naturally possessed all of the desired traits of an officer regardless of his 'place' of education.
Bruce was attached to the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry. It seems that he was always attached to this regiment but was on secondment elsewhere throughout the war. A report in The People on the 1st August 1915 in relation to a huge sporting carnival held at Stamford Bridge has Lieutenant Bruce Logan, Staff Officer, East Lancashire Division, as a judge of the competition that had a large boxing component. (The competition was to raise funds for disabled soldiers and sailors.)
The 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division were at Crowborough Army Camp in Sussex and in February 1916, "Captain H. Bruce Logan (Assistant Provost Marshal) occupied the chair, and the magnificent programme presented by well-known artistes was under the direction and supervision of Miss Alice Lakin."
I don't know if his choice (assuming he had a choice) of regiment was somehow tied to the school that he went to in Lancashire.
I have a brief newspaper reference from 29 November 1917 that Captain Bruce Logan "a well known boxer, oarsman, and Rugby footballer, is reported wounded". I have no further information in relation to how the wounding occurred or to what extent it affected him.
At some stage during the war, Bruce became In Charge of what was known as the Boxing Platoon and I believe they went touring the different camps, including overseas, and entertaining the troops with exhibition matches and perhaps, inviting participation from the audience. The platoon itself comprised of very accomplished boxers each in their own right who were a mix of amateurs and professionals prior to the war. Bruce was the Captain of the team. (Anecdotally, I understood that an officer could not box an enlisted man as it would be okay for the officer to win but not good for morale if the enlisted man won.)
It culminated in the holding of the King's Trophy Tournament at the Albert Hall, held in December 1918 over two days, which was open to all of the British Empire and American Services. From an article in The Mail Dec 11, 1918: "Yesterday, I visited the British team, at Aldershot, and enjoyed the privilege of a long conversation on boxing with Colonel R. B. Campbell, himself a Navy and Army Champion, with Captain H. Bruce Logan (the leader of the British team), returned only a few weeks ago from France to organise the tournament. We talked about the methods of the old days and the hopes for the new. It is recognised that during the last four years boxing did more for the soldiers in the field than any other sport. (Captain Bruce Logan deserves success for the men under him, even if it should be denied; with the assistance of the incomparable Jim Driscoll, now a C.S.M.I., and S.I. Dent, he has brought his string of fighters to a high level of efficiency.) ... "
(Colonel Campbell sounds a very interesting man too and this is the blurb from his biography by John G. Gray, Prophet in Plimsoles: "Colonel Campbell was far more than a distinguished soldier, a pioneering boys' club leader, and an imaginative physical educationalist. His great contribution to succeeding generations sprang from his awareness that the struggle in every age is not primarily in the realm of the physical and material. The ultimate battle is for the whole man. His life was devoted to achieving right thinking about the almost mystical connection between body, mind and spirit. He considered it vital to the survival of the nation. This very thought provoking biography of a prophet, whose life and thought have influenced thousands and who still inspires men today, can be commended for its broad appeal to readers of widely differing interests." Ideal man to serve under and have as a mentor.)
There were nine teams competing for the King's Trophy: Royal Navy and Marines, Army, RAF, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States Army, United States Navy and each team fielding entrants in the eight weight divisions.
The great two-day Boxing Tournament held by the British Empire and American Services in the Albert Hall was brought to a close tonight amid scenes unparalleled in the history of boxing. The British team, captained by Captain H. Bruce Logan, won the magnificent trophy presented by the King, having scored an aggregate of 50 points; the United States Army came second with 39 points.
This was a huge event and many newspaper columns were dedicated to the reporting of it.
War Medals
Bruce was awarded the British War Medal and British Victory Medal. The Victory Medal was not awarded singly but together with another medal, such as the War Medal. The War Medal was awarded to all officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had served for a prescribed period (mobilised for minimum of 28 days) during any stage of the war.
As he did not qualify for the 1914 Star or 1914-1915 Star which were awarded for overseas service in a theatre of war from 5/8/1914 to 31/12/1915 - these dates preceded the introduction of conscription via the Military Services Act 1916 - it would be safe to say that he hadn't been overseas on duty up until December 1915.
In 1926, the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News reported that Captain Bruce Logan had happily recovered from a serious illness - a form of blood poisoning - and had been recuperating at Eastbourne. "Capt. Bruce Logan—now in the forties, was a good old-fashioned style of amateur heavy-weight, also a Thames rowing man until a couple of years ago—has happily re covered from a serious illness. Four months ago he was attacked with a form of blood poisoning, and until the past three weeks he has been laid up. Even now he is two stones under weight, but a stay at Eastbourne has served to pick him up. He is on his pins again, looks alert and well, and after another spell by the seaside will once more be his strong, cheery self. He said a very fine thing to me the other day, "You've no idea the number of good fellows who wrote to me while I was on my back, feeling at times rather despairing," was how he put it, "You've no idea the good feeling there is in the world. An experience such as I have just had knocks all the cynicism out of you.""
In 1931 a Donald Kennedy (44) Company Director and others were charged with conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences. One of the aliases of Kennedy was Bruce Logan and our Bruce had legal representation at the trial at the Guildhall in London in order to ensure he (and his name) was distanced from the nefarious activities of those actually charged as it was injurious to his good name. Kennedy actually stated that his birth name was Bruce Logan but he had changed it in order to avoid any confusion with the other well known 'Bruce Logan'. From the prosecutor: "...one of the names by which Donald Kennedy was known was "Bruce Logan". There was a gentleman of the highest possible character, well known in the sporting world, especially in boxing and rowing, whose name was Bruce Logan. It has been brought to the attention of the DPP that the mention of that name in connection with this case has done him, or may do him considerable harm. ..."
Sportsmen in the Limelight: This article was published in 1933 but refers to a much earlier time - probably between 1910 and 1914 - when Bruce went with 'Peggie' Bettinson to trial a hopeful heavy-weight by the name of Bill Chase. It would appear that Bruce was knocked out or hit very hard as he remained disorientated on the drive home.
In 1936 Bruce was a member of the National Sporting Club's Match Making Committee alongside the Marquis of Queensberry, who would have been Francis Archibald Kelhead Douglas, 11th Marquess of Queensberry and grandson of the 9th Marquess whose name became synonymous with the Queensberry Rules of Boxing. In an article in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail on Wednesday 23 December 1936 which provided short bios of the new members, Bruce was described as "one of the Admirable Crichtons" of sport. The definition of an Admirable Crichton from the Free Dictionary is a person who excels in all kinds of studies and pursuits, or who is noted for supreme competence! (Going by the dictionary definition, then this is a huge compliment but, now having read J.M. Barrie's play, I am not so sure it isn't a sock in the eye!)
In 1939, Bruce is recorded in the England and Wales Register as a Director of a Shipping Company. In the same year, a furore was raised when two of the shipping companies that he was a director of, sold tonnage to a belligerent Germany. It wasn't against the law at that time but the Board of Trade, having no legislation to either seize or prevent the sale, asked politely of those companies contemplating sales to certain countries, not to and, allegedly, most complied. There was an inquiry held and there was a baying for blood and demand for publishing of the names of the directors of the companies - which did occur. The Directors countered that the sale of the ships was done with the full permission of the Board of Trade so the truth was probably somewhere in between.
The companies and ships were: The Alpha Steamship Co. Ltd that sold the Laleham (renamed Harm Fritzen - scuttled by the Allies 1948) and Peckham (renamed Jurgen Fritzen - grounded and sank in 1940 ) and the Apex Steamship Co. Ltd that sold the Meopham (renamed Antje Fritzen - sunk after soviet attack in 1943).
It is interesting to note that the purchase of the Dorington Court by the Alpha Steamship Company and subsequent sale of it as the Laleham to German owners was reported on in Australian Newspapers - an article appeared in the Adelaide Advertiser on June 28, 1939 giving the history of the ship but did not mention the controversy around the sale.
Steamship Laleham
The Dorrington Court (built in 1915) was purchased by the Alpha Steamship Co. in 1937 for £51,000 - £4,000 more than the cost of the original build. In 1939, now renamed the Laleham, it was one of the ships that caused controversy in the English Parliament with its sale to foreign owners in Germany. Once it was under the new ownership, it was renamed the 'Harm Fritzen'.
On 12 Feb 44, the British T1 class submarine, Taku, torpedoed and heavily damaged the German merchant Harm Fritzen (4818 GRT) off Stavanger, Norway. The ship was beached to prevent it sinking and later salvaged.
According to Miramar Ship Index, the Harm Fritzen was scuttled on 1 March 1948 about 190 miles West of Cape Finisterre in France. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment carried out a risk assessment of ships that were scuttled in the Skaggarak at the end of WW2. In the appendices are listed the "gas ships" that were sunk and their position. The list includes the Harm Fritzen and the position of the wreck corresponds to that given by Miramar. The report states that Harm Fritzen had on board 4,818brt (Bruttoregistertonnen - German for Gross Registered tons) of gas ammunition when she was scuttled. The exact nature of the payload of shells on board when Harm Fritzen was scuttled is not known but could include Mustard Gas, Arsenic and Tabun - a substance still classified as a "weapon of mass destruction" under UN Resolution 687 and akin to Sarin a deadly nerve gas. (Wrecks in the Skagerrak are regularly checked but those in the Bay of Biscay are almost certainly not and may one day cause problems. ) Source
In an article that appeared in the Truth in March, 1948, the author is lamenting the fact that there were no decent heavy weights that could go up against the visiting American boxer, Joe Louis. "... Perhaps it is a pity that the Amateur Boxing Association no longer permit amateurs to give exhibitions with professionals, except with the club instructor. In the old days one of the best nights of the year was a display of this kind organised by the Belsize Boxing Club, in which all the leading amateurs of the day sparred exhibitions with the professional champions at their own weights. If heavyweights like ... Bruce Logan ... were boxing now, they would not have disgraced themselves in the ring with Joe Louis." (That is a pretty big compliment considering Joe Louis was one of the all time greats.)
Hubert Bruce Logan
Bruce was the big brother of my grandfather, Morris Logan.
The caption on the photo in the heading is: Capt. Bruce Logan. The well-known amateur boxer and Thames R.C. oarsman. He is now Assistant Provost-Marshal, 66th East Lancashire Division.
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