Lady Martha Veronica Bruce

Lieutenant-Colonel Lady Martha Veronica Bruce (7 November 1921 – 22 January 2023) was a British aristocrat, prison governor and Women's Royal Army Corps officer. Early life and family Bruce was born on 7 November 1921 in Limekilns, Fife, she was the eldest of six children of Edward Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin and 14th Earl of Kincardine, chief of Clan Bruce, and Katherine Elizabeth Cochrane. She was raised at the family seat, Broomhall House, near Limekilns. When she was a child, her parents entertained King George V and Queen Mary with the Duke and Duchess of York at Broomhall. After this visit, the Bruce children's governess, Marion Crawford, went to work for the Yorks, raising the future Queen Elizabeth II. Her younger siblings included Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, and the Hon. James Bruce. Bruce was educated at Downham School, where she was head girl. After leaving Downham, she took dancing and deportment lessons at Madame Vacani's school in Knightsbridge in preparation for her coming out season. She and her sister had a debutante ball at Claridge's. Career During World War II, Lady Martha joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1941. She later joined an anti-aircraft battery defending London during the Blitz. After the war, she went on to command the WRAC Battalion supporting 51st (Highland) Division in Perth in the 1960s, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.