Julius Bruche

Major General Sir Julius Henry Bruche (6 March 1873 – 28 April 1961) was an Australian Army officer who undertook active service during the Second Boer War and First World War and eventually rose to the position of Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in 1931. He retired in 1935 and died in 1961, aged 88.

Early life Julius Bruche was born on 6 March 1873 in North Melbourne to German-born parents. His father was William Julius Maximilian Bruche—a corn merchant—while his mother was Elise Dorothea Henrietta Bruche (née Goetz).

Military career In 1891 Bruche took a part-time commission in the 1st Battalion, Victorian Rifles, a militia unit, before transferring to the Permanent Military Forces in 1898.

After returning from South Africa he held a number of administrative and instructional appointments. In between these appointments Bruche was married to Dorothy Annette McFarland, whom he wed in Sydney on 12 April 1904, and with whom he subsequently had twin daughters. when he was appointed to the staff of the AIF headquarters in London. He then held a number of senior positions including commandant of the New South Wales and Queensland military districts, adjutant general of the Australian forces, senior military representative for Australia in London and on the Imperial General Staff and commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. His tenure was marked by the austerity of the economic downturn of the Great Depression, and the general malaise that crept into Australian strategic thinking at the time. He retired in 1935 at the rank of major general, Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). During the First World War he was also mentioned in despatches five times.

Death Bruche died in Melbourne on 28 April 1961, at the age of 88. He was survived by his wife and one of their two daughters.