page_title: George Barclay Bruce
section_title: Early life and career
hierarchical_section_title: George Barclay Bruce / Early life and career
caption_attribution_description: English: Personal photograph taken by Mick Knapton on 23rd August 2004.
context_page_description: Sir George Barclay Bruce was a British civil engineer. Bruce was primarily a railway engineer who worked for many railway companies in Britain, Europe, Asia and South America. He was closely involved with the Institution of Civil Engineers, serving at various times as a member, council member, vice-president and president. He received a knighthood from the British Government and was made an officer of the Legion of Honour by the French in recognition of his services to construction. Bruce was a Presbyterian and committed himself to spreading the church in England and to improve public education, to which end he gave his time and money generously.
context_section_description: Bruce was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne to John Bruce, the founder of Percy Street Academy.  Amongst his father's pupils at the academy was Robert Stephenson, the railway engineer, to whom George was apprenticed for five years from 1836.  He then spent two years working on the construction of  the Newcastle and Darlington Railway followed by two further years as resident engineer on the Northampton and Peterborough line.  Robert Stephenson then appointed him to work on the Royal Border Bridge, after it opened in 1850 Bruce presented an account of his time there to the Institution of Civil Engineers for which he received a Telford Medal in 1851.  Following this Bruce was primarily concerned with the construction and maintenance of railways in India. He was engaged to the East Indian Railway and the Madras Railway until ill health ended his time in India in 1856.
caption: Royal Border Bridge
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