At this year’s Remembrance Day service passages from the Roll of Honour books held in the University Archives will be read. These books record the names of Queen Mary students who died in military service during World War 1 and World War 2. The stories of three students will be read this year and in this blog we are using other sources to fill in details of their lives beyond their military service.
Frank Stevenson Long (centre) with East London College Football Club c1909-11 (QM/1/15/7)
Frank Stevenson Long was born locally to East London College (former name of Queen Mary) in Bethnal Green. He was born on 23 December 1889 to parents William Thomas and Mary Louisa Long. His father was a Cabinet maker and he had one older brother George who worked as an Upholsterer.
Long attended Parmiter’s Foundation School 1898-1906, at that time in Hackney, where he became School Captain in his final year. He won a Drapers’ Company Scholarship to attend East London College which he did, registering on 19 October 1906.
East London College was in its very early days when Long joined; they were only admitted as a school of the University of London in his second year, the Student’s Union Society was only established in his third year. In what was quite a small institution when Long attended he made a big impact with the many roles he took on in his five years at East London College.
Long studied for two undergraduate degrees one after the other: Chemistry BSc Hons 1909 first class, Physics BSc Hons 1911 second class. After his first degree he took a job as a Student Demonstrator in the Chemistry Department and undertook independent research in Chemistry. This was published in the Journal of the Chemical Society (Vol. 99 1911) on “the velocity of addition of alkyl bromides to cyclic tertiary bases”.
Long was elected to the newly established East London College Student Union twice: first as a “Student Member” in 1908 (one of five) and then as the “Student Representative” in 1910 (one of two). The latter role was the highest position a student could get in the Student’s Union at that time; one male and one female student could be elected to this position.
Long also got involved with the Student Christian Union and East London College Association Football team (Honorary Secretary 1910-11). He wrote an article summarising the history of football at East London College for the first issue of the East London College Magazine in 1910. When he left the College in late 1911 his teammates lamented the “severe loss” of “the most patient of secretaries, Long” (ELC Mag, 1911).
After finishing his second degree at East London College Long joined Cambridge University in January 1912. He attended the Cambridge University Day Training College, a teacher training college with a relationship to Toynbee Hall who provided scholarships to East London students. He also got a job as Secretary to the Censor of Fitzwilliam Hall (now College) and was later a Librarian there too. This was the headquarters of the Non-Collegiate Students Board and provided student facilities and limited accommodation for students who couldn’t afford to join a Cambridge college but were studying at the university. The “Censor” was in charge of this facility.
His ingrained modesty was never more conspicuous than in moments of victory. I well remember receiving from him by telephone the news of several Tripos lists which had reached the Hall. We exchanged congratulations over several quite minor successes until it suddenly occurred to me that his own list, the Mathematical, must be out. My eager enquiry about his class was answered with the familiar self-deprecating inflexion impossible to reproduce, ‘Oh, I got a First’. William Fiddian Reddaway, Censor of Fitzwilliam Hall (Fitzwilliam Journal Vol XIV, No 2 2015).
His ingrained modesty was never more conspicuous than in moments of victory. I well remember receiving from him by telephone the news of several Tripos lists which had reached the Hall. We exchanged congratulations over several quite minor successes until it suddenly occurred to me that his own list, the Mathematical, must be out. My eager enquiry about his class was answered with the familiar self-deprecating inflexion impossible to reproduce, ‘Oh, I got a First’.
William Fiddian Reddaway, Censor of Fitzwilliam Hall (Fitzwilliam Journal Vol XIV, No 2 2015).
During Long’s time at Fitzwilliam Hall he met Hilda Mary Woods, the younger sister of one of his friends at the Hall. They got engaged. He also sat for the Cambridge University Mathematical Tripos Part I which he passed in June 1914. Two successful Tripos exams, Part 1 and 2, are required to receive a Cambridge degree. He was planning to take Part 2 in Physics when war broke out.
Long has been in the Officer Training Corps, an organisation aimed at training University students for leadership positions in the army, since his time at East London College. So at the outbreak of World War 1 Long volunteered and joined the 11th Essex Regiment and was made a Second Lieutenant in September 1914. This was formed at Warley, Essex, and spent time training in Brighton, Shoreham and Blackdown in 1915. On 30 August 1915 he landed with his regiment at Boulogne, France and they made their way to Artois. Long was at the opening of the Battle of Loos, Artois, a disastrous battle where 60,000 people died or were wounded.
The 11th Battalion were in the Reserves during the advance. The first attack was made on Saturday morning and, had all gone well, the Reserves should have made another attack further in advance of the first during the same day. This was not done by the Reserves until Sunday morning [26 September] by which time the enemy had succeeded in repairing his entanglements and consequently the attack was a failure. During this attack, Long was the officer in charge of ammunition supplies and was last seen […] to fall among some of those entanglements which spoilt the general advance. A Private with the 11th Battalion (Fitz. Journal, 2015). Entanglements were barbed wire trench defences.
The 11th Battalion were in the Reserves during the advance. The first attack was made on Saturday morning and, had all gone well, the Reserves should have made another attack further in advance of the first during the same day. This was not done by the Reserves until Sunday morning [26 September] by which time the enemy had succeeded in repairing his entanglements and consequently the attack was a failure. During this attack, Long was the officer in charge of ammunition supplies and was last seen […] to fall among some of those entanglements which spoilt the general advance.
A Private with the 11th Battalion (Fitz. Journal, 2015). Entanglements were barbed wire trench defences.
The Battle of Loos wouldn’t end until 8 October 1915 and, in the confusion, Long was first reported as missing. His Adjutant wrote to Long’s parents “I very much regret that I can give you no further news of your son. He was seen to fall wounded and the ground we had been fighting over is still being fought over.” Although many efforts were made his body was never recovered and his death date is assumed to be 26 September 1915. He was twenty-five years old. Long’s name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Panel 85-87.
Long’s death was widely mourned. His Captain wrote “he was most trusted of my platoon commanders…I cannot tell you how much I and his men will feel his loss” (Fitz. Journal, 2015). An obituary published in Nature (vol. 96 1915) written by the President of the Chemical Society, Alexander Scott reads “Long’s death is indeed a grievous loss to the sciences and to the country…All these hopes like so many others have been swept away by the terrible and devastating war”. Hilda Woods, his fiancé, wrote of this time “My fiancé had been wounded and missing and now was reported killed. The world seemed very black and the future blotted out” (Woods “The birth of a medical statistician” n.d.).
An obituary published in the East London College student magazine reported that members of the college attended a Memorial Service in Forest Gate and quoted from the service “Though young, he has done much” (1915). He is remembered in East London College’s Roll of Honour.
Kenneth Douglas Bruce was born in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, Canada on 26 September 1918. His father James Morrison Bruce was Canadian and a retired farmer and his mother was Sallie Dick Bruce. He had a younger brother Patrick David Bruce and a sister. The family had moved to England while Kenneth was still a baby settling in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Bruce attended the Crypt School in Gloucestershire initially.
Bruce moved onto a boarding school Oundle School, Northamptonshire in September 1931 where he entered “Berrystead” House. He moved to “School House” in 1933 where he played on the Fives team (a type of handball sport) for his house. His younger brother Patrick also attended this school 1933-1937.
Kenneth Douglas Bruce in Fives team photo 1934 (Oundle School Archives)
Kenneth Bruce finished school in 1935 and was interested in aeronautics, the science of flight, so applied for an Engineering course at Queen Mary College. The college had a reputation for aeronautics being the first in the UK to establish an aeronautical engineering department in 1909. He started at Queen Mary College in October 1936 and lived in South Kensington on Prince Court Road while studying in London.
Bruce studied Engineering at Queen Mary 1936-1939 starting with Maths and general Engineering subjects and eventually specialising into study of “Applied Aerodynamics” and “Theory of Aircraft Structures”. While at college he was involved the Lawn Tennis Club and Boating Club. He was awarded full college colours for Boating in 1938; this is an award made for excellence in sport. He also joined the University of London Air Squadron in 1938, part of the Royal Airforce Volunteer Reserves, and was a Pilot Officer. He graduated with an Engineering Bachelor of Sciences degree, 1st Class Honours June 1939.
When World War two broke out Bruce went from a Reserve to a full member of the RAF as a Pilot Officer. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in 1940 and to a Squadron Leader of 48th Squadron, Coastal Command in 1942. This was an anti-submarine squadron patrolling the North Sea. He was based at Wick, Caithness in the far north of Scotland.
Bruce was Flight Commander and Pilot of the Hudson V aircraft that left base at Wick at 3.26am on 11 April 1942. He was accompanied by two Sergeants, a Pilot Officer and a Flying Officer. They were on an operation into German occupied territory 32km North-West of Bergen, Norway when they died. Further detail is unknown but the bodies of all but one of his crew were recovered and buried in Norway. He was twenty-three years old. His brother Patrick David Bruce, also in the RAF, died at the same age two years later.
Kenneth Bruce is buried at the Sola Churchyard, British Plot C.1. in Norway alongside his crew. He is also commemorated in war memorials at Holy Apostles Church, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Charlton Kings, Horsefair Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Crypt School Memorial, Podsmead Road, Gloucester; Oundle School War Memorial, Northamptonshire. He is also remembered in Queen Mary College’s Roll of Honour.
Douglas Percival Wright was born in Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire to parents John Thomas Wright and Alice Wood. He was born on 2 February 1918. He had three older brothers and one younger. They lived at Grange Farm, Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire where his father was a Farmer. He attended Briggs Grammer School locally and was School Captain 1928-1936. He received a Lincolnshire scholarship the Lindsey Senior Scholarship to attend Queen Mary College.
Douglas Percival Wright c1934-44 (QMC Student Cards)
Wright joined Queen Mary College in October 1936. In addition to his scholarship he was also a College Exhibitioner, another scholarship through the college. He lived in Crouch End, North London, while studying. He studied a Special Honours course in French with a German subsidiary. He was a committee member of the college French Society and attended the English Society. He was active in sports at the college: Lawn Tennis, Cross Country Club, Cricket, Association Football Club. He was Honorary Secretary of the Football Club 1937-8 and came third in an Intercollegiate Cross-Country Championship in 1938. He was also in the Officer Training Corps, an organisation aimed at training University students for leadership positions in the army.
Wright received a Bachelor of Arts Honours in French June 1938. He went on to further study at London School of Economics taking a course in Business Administration 1938-9. Just before World War 2 broke out Wright had finished his course, was back at Grange Farm and looking for employment. He joined the army instead as World War 2 later in 1939. He was a Lieutenant with the Sherwood Foresters, Nottingham and Derby Regiment. He was attached to the King’s African Rifles, forces raised from Britain's East African colonies. Wright died in Columbo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on 15 October 1943. He was twenty-five years old.
Wright is buried in Liveramentu Cemetery, Columbo, Sri Lanka. He is also commemorated on a war memorial in St Hybald churchyard, Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire. He is remembered in Queen Mary College’s Roll of Honour.
Interested in finding out more about another student? Start with the below sources which are either online or available to view by appointment in the Archives Reading Room:
Queen Mary College Student Index Cards c1910-1960s, Queen Mary University Archives
East London College Roll of Honour 1914-1919, Queen Mary University Archives
Queen Mary College Roll of Honour 1939-1945, Queen Mary University Archives
Meanings of Service website, digitised material relating to the First World War held at the Queen Mary University of London, Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospital archives.
University of London Students 1836-1939, digitised copies of lists of students and University of London graduates, 1836-1939 made available through Senate House Library