Captain Evan Bruce-Gardyne, Defence Science Organisation, 13th Laird of Middleton, was an officer of the British Royal Navy.
Background
He was the son of David Greenhill Bruce-Gardyne and Azemia Sellar. His father, David Greenhill Bruce-Gardyne, was the son of Major William Bruce-Gardyne of Middleton and his wife Catherine Cameron Macpherson daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Macpherson of Kingston Canada, illegitimate son of Ewen MacPherson of Cluny chief of the Clan Macpherson.
David Greenhill Bruce-Gardyne was a cousin of Sir John Alexander Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, and his wife Azemia Sellar was a granddaughter of the notorious Patrick Sellar.
Education
Bruce-Gardyne was educated at HMS Britannia, from which he joined the Navy.
Career
He was also Alfred Anderson"s commanding officer On 20 October 1905 he was confirmed in the rank of sub-lieutenant, dating from 15 July 1904, and on 8 June 1906 he was promoted to lieutenant, dating from 15 October 1905. In June 1906 he was in command of Torpedo Boat Number.
73 in the Sheerness-Chatham flotilla, and was serving as a lieutenant aboard Queen in 1908.
He served as gunnery officer of the battleship Tiger during the battle of Jutland, on 31 May–1 June 1916, where the ship was badly damaged. Some blamed Tiger"s poor performance on Bruce-Gardyne, and he was court martialled, but found not guilty.
Many believed he was made a scapegoat and that the real problems lay elsewhere. When junior officers were awarded the Defence Science Organisation it was an acknowledgement that the officer had only just missed out on receiving the Victoria Cross.
After the war Bruce-Gardyne became the officer in charge of the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, before retiring to his estate in Scotland.
He died on 24 July 1949 aged 64.
Membership
He was a member of the well-known Scottish landowning family of Gardyne who have been based in the county of Angus since 1008 AD.
