Bruce Enzer was born on 8 July 1921, the son of James Leonard Enzer and Olive Dora Judge Enzer (née Tasker). When the 1939 Register was taken he was at home with his mother at Crossbank, Lower Ham Road, Kingston on Hull and he was listed as a General Clerk at a wholesale supplier.

He was appointed Temporary Sub Lieutenant, RNVR on 17 July 1942 and on 25 September 1942 was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN. The December 1942 Navy List reports an appointment to HMS VARBEL where he trained and qualified as a X-Craft submariner. In September 1943 he served as an operational crew member (1^st Lieutenant) in HMS X10 for Operation SOURCE – the operation to neutralise German warships in the Norwegian Fjords.  X10’s part in the operation had to be abandoned when they were very close to their target due to a defective periscope and compass, but the crew returned home safely. For this operation, Bruce Enter was awarded his first Mention in Despatches (London Gazette of 21 December 1943).

Bruce Enzer was promoted to Lieutenant, RNVR on 1 January 1944 and next served in HMS X20 for Operation POSTAGE ABLE, which was a reconnaissance of one of the proposed Normandy landing beaches from 17 to 21 January 1944. After this operation, where no Engine Room Artificer was part of the crew, Nigel Willmott wrote in his report:  “Sub-Lieutenant Enzer’s skill and continual cheerful hard work must have been greatly responsible for the success of the expedition in that no major breakdowns and few minor ones occurred” – (Royal Engineers Museum archive, reference M1833).  He was awarded a second Mention in Despatches (London Gazette of 4 April 1944) “for courage and undaunted devotion to duty in a hazardous operation“.

Bruce Enzer then served in X20 for Operation GAMBIT – marking one of the D Day invasion beaches for the landings. This earned him his third Mention in Despatches (London Gazette of 28 November 1944) “For gallantry, skill, determination and un-daunted devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy“.

He continued to serve with X-craft and in late 1944 he was at the Vickers Shipyard in Barrow standing by the building of HMS XE6 which was unofficially named EXCALIBUR II.

He was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS BONAVENTURE (14^th Submarine Flotilla) on 7 November 1944.  HMS XE6 left Barrow on 15 December 1944 to join HMS BONAVENTURE and her Flotilla.  After trials and exercises HMS BONAVENTURE was sent to the Far East leaving Scotland for Pearl Harbour on 21 February 1945, arriving on 7 April 1945 but was then diverted to Brisbane Australia, arriving on 27 April 1945.

Bruce Enzer died on 22 June 1945 – diving experiments were being carried out near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to determine the best way of the XE Craft grappling for submerged telephone cables. In these experiments the Commanding Officer took the part of the XE-Craft diver.

The dives were taking place at a depth of 40 to 45 feet. During the experiments Bruce Enzer disappeared without trace and is believed to have been overcome by the effects of oxygen poisoning.

Bruce Enzer of Crossbank, Lower Ham Road, Kingston on Hull is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 90, Column 2 and on the 12th Submarine Flotilla memorials at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and at Kylesku.