Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - An ba Bruce izini a matsayin mai ba da izini a cikin 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot a ranar 9 ga Yuni, 1838. Ya ga aikinsa tare da rundunarsa a yakin Xhosa na takwas.
tsakanin 1851 da 1853. Ya zama kwamandan jami'in na 2 na rundunarsa a watan Agusta 1857 wanda aka tura shi zuwa Gibraltar. Ya ci gaba da zama kwamandan sojoji a Yankin Arewacin Burtaniya a 1878. Ya zama colonel na East Yorkshire Regiment a ranar 4 ga Fabrairu 1890 kuma colonel na Sarauniya Royal Regiment (West Surrey) a ranar 6 ga Yuni 1891.