Bruce Dowsett Strange’s  parents Henry Dowsett and Edith Rose (Laver) Strange arrived in Sydney from England in 1907 with his siblings, Neville, Sidney and Eileen. Bruce was born in Townsville on the 5 April 1913 and 2 more siblings were born, Marjorie and Stanley. His mother died in 1935. 

 His occupation was a salesman on his enlistment form, he then served in El Alamein, where he earned the Distinguished Service Order, and he also served in Tobruk.

Major Strange was Mentioned in Despatches in 1942, he received the D.S.O (Distinguished Service Order) for utmost vigour, aggressive spirit and initiative.  After Bruce’s death the award was presented to his father Mr. Henry Strange.

The Virtual War Memorial lists his death as “killed in service”.  Australian War Memorial War Diary has “Major Bruce Strange was found dead in his tent with a bullet wound in the right temple.  Major Strange had been depressed and worried for some time and had returned only a few days before from a convalescent camp, where he had spent some weeks. Court of Inquiry found he committed suicide during a period of acute melancholia, which was possibly attributed to the after effects of malaria and to his previous war service”.