Wilfred Montagu Bruce was born in Scotland in 1874. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and joined HMS Worcester as a cadet, later serving in the Merchant Navy as an officer in passenger liners. Bruce, whose sister Kathleen had married Robert Falcon Scott in 1908, joined the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910 - 1913 (leader Robert Falcon Scott). Initially he helped to collect and transport sledge dogs and ponies from Vladistock to New Zealand. Later he served as second officer onboard Terra Nova on both the southern voyages.
During the First World War, he was in charge of minesweepers at Lowestoft, and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1917. He left the sea soon afterwards, married and became a country gentleman and farmer. He died on 21 September 1953.
Published work: Reminiscences of the Terra Nova in the Antarctic Blue Peter (1932) SPRI Library Shelf Folio (7):91(08)[1910-1913] British National Antarctic Expedition 1910-1912 Bound pamphlets Vol.2, no.2
From the guide to the Wilfred Montagu Bruce collection, 1910 - 1913, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
