Dominic Bruce

Dominic Bruce, (7 June 1915 – 12 February 2000) was a British Royal Air Force officer, known as the "Medium Sized Man."

He has been described as "the most ingenious escaper" of the Second World War.

He made seventeen attempts at escaping from POW camps, including several attempts to escape from Colditz Castle, a castle that housed prisoners of war "deemed incorrigible".

Famed for his time in Colditz, Bruce also escaped from Spangenberg Castle and the Warburg POW camp.

In Spangenberg Castle he escaped with the Swiss Red Cross Commission escape, it is also argued he co-innovated the wooden horse escape technique while serving time inside Spangenberg.

In Warburg he escaped dressed as a British orderly in a fake workers party.

Inside Colditz Castle, Bruce authored the Tea Chest Escape and also faced a firing squad for an attempted escape via a sewer tunnel.

While held in solitude in Colditz Bruce, along with two other prisoners, became a key witness to the post war Musketoon commando raid trial.

For his exploits, Bruce was awarded the Military Cross and is the only known person to have received both the Military Cross and the Air Force Medal.

Bruce has also featured prominently in books, sound recordings, TV and film.

In his later years he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to education.

Bruce was born on 7 June 1915, in Hebburn, County Durham, England.

He was the second of the four children of William and Mary ( McClurry) Bruce.

His two younger siblings were Anne Bruce-Kimber and John Bruce (who died 7th May, 1925, aged 3).

Dominic Bruce's escaping adventures started early in his life when he ran away from home by means of a train to London.

Remarkably on arrival in London he was recognised by a police officer married to his father's sister Anne.

He was quickly returned to Shakespeare Avenue in Hebburn.

Bruce was educated at and matriculated from St Cuthbert's Grammar School, Newcastle, 1927–1935.

He was of an adventurous disposition and as an alternative to his formal education he spent some time as an unauthorised visitor to the Newcastle Law Courts during school time.

On joining the Royal Air Force in 1935 he trained as a wireless operator, then as an airgunner.

In November 1936, Bruce joined No. 214 Squadron at Scampton.

Scampton was equipped with Virginias and Harrows.

On 25 March 1937, he was involved in the crash of the Handley Page Harrow "K6940" which resulted from a badly judged descent which removed the roof of a train travelling on railway lines adjacent to the Handley Page works airfield at Radlett.

Bruce married Mary Brigid Lagan on 25 June 1938 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Maiden Lane.

On 6 October 1938, while with No. 214 Squadron, he survived the crash of Harrow "K6991" at Pontefract, Yorkshire.

While acting as a wireless operator for his aircraft, he was knocked out by a lightning strike.

Once recovered, he alerted his base to the fact that the crew were bailing out.

Wishing to get out of an escape hatch, he found his way blocked by other airmen who were hesitating about throwing themselves out of the aircraft into the howling darkness.

He rushed to the other side of the hatch and jumped.

His parachute harness caught on projecting clamps and pulled the trapdoor shut above him.

Bruce was now suspended under the bomber and unable to escape further.

Realising what had happened, his fellow crew members were now galvanised into action, raised the trapdoor and were shocked to have Bruce shoot back into the aircraft, though not too shocked to eject him again.

Bruce was subsequently awarded the Air Force Medal (AFM) on 8 June 1939.

According to Pete Tunstall, Bruce was very proud of being the only man known to have bailed from an aircraft three times and to have landed only twice.

After the war he used to entertain his children with the seemingly insoluble riddle: "How is it that I baled out three times, but only landed twice?"

Bruce called his AFM medal the 'Away From Mam' medal.

In March 1939, Bruce retrained as an air observer and studied at the Bombing School Stranrear.

On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland.

Mary Bruce was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1956 for her services to the care of the sick and infirm and was known as the 'Angel of Hebburn'.

His elder brother was Brother Thomas (William) Bruce, a member of the De La Salle religious congregation or Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools who died in Nazareth in 1974, and is buried in a wall tomb in the crypt of the University of Bethlehem.