Who is Bruce Crompton? The military expert and co-host of Battle Treasures
Bruce Crompton is accustomed to analysing extraordinary militaria. Now he’s bringing this expertise to Sky HISTORY’s Battle Treasures with Foxy and Bruce.
Image: Bruce Crompton | Battle Treasures
Reading about history is one thing, but what is the closest you can get to actually experiencing the past? Well, simply by clapping your eyes on historical artefacts, you can get an idea of how your ancestors would have felt doing the same thing.
This gets to the heart of why such artefacts are crucial to helping us truly comprehend the experiences of previous generations. It’s also why self-taught historian and TV personality Bruce Crompton is passionate about amassing militaria for his own collection.
Bruce is well-trained at analysing objects and extracting the very human story behind each one. In fact, that’s exactly what he does as the co-host of Sky HISTORY’s new six-part series Battle Treasures With Foxy and Bruce. So, how did he become such an avid collector — and a reliable fountain of valuable historical knowledge?
How Bruce Crompton started out as a collector
Of course, fans who have regularly tuned in to Bruce’s long-running show Combat Dealers will be more than familiar with his distinctive Cockney accent. Indeed, he grew up in the East End of London but later moved to Suffolk.
So, what initially sparked his keen interest in military matters? On a January 2024 episode of his podcast Amazing War Stories, Bruce recalled that one factor was his childhood interest in Commando comics.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bruce also remembered a particular toy that encouraged his passion. ‘I had an Action Man with a tommy gun at the age of seven, and there was no turning back.’
At the age of 11, he got his hands on what would become the first item in his now-vast collection of 20th-century militaria. ‘I walked past a house on the way to school every day and noticed that there were daffodils planted in this upturned helmet.’
The young Bruce became obsessed with this headwear — so much so that he eventually decided to knock on the door of the resident’s house. ‘I plucked up the courage to ask the owner if I could buy it off him. He tipped the daffodils out and said, “Have it”. I’ve never forgotten that feeling.’
Especially crucially, Bruce had now caught the collecting bug. ‘Once I’d got a German helmet, I wanted a British one. Then I started picking up gas masks, berets… that’s how it started.’
Bruce Crompton the military man
Given Bruce’s burgeoning childhood interest in the military, it’s hardly surprising to hear how eager he was to join the British Army. He intended to do so full-time at the age of 14, but abandoned that plan after meeting the girl who would become his wife.
He did still join the Parachute Regiment in a part-time capacity. Bruce has also, since his twenties, helped steer Axis Track Services to success. Today, it is one of the UK’s largest engineering companies.
His success as a businessman has given him the financial muscle to purchase and restore many different World War II items.
Why are military artefacts so important?
Bruce told Amazing War Stories: ‘I’m really a custodian for everything I’ve got. And one day I hope to be able to pass it on either to my grandchildren or whatever, or it goes to museums.’
Bruce insists that it is crucial to preserve items like those in his own collection. Otherwise, he argues, they could be sold to collectors who, unlike him, are unwilling to openly share these artefacts. ‘Once you lose that history, it’s gone.’
Bruce has lent many of his own pieces to film production crews. As for where his military vehicles and paraphernalia have actually appeared on-screen, the answer reads like a definitive list of acclaimed Hollywood war films.
He still owns the helmet featured on the iconic poster of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Other war films made more convincing and authentic with Bruce’s help include Saving Private Ryan and Fury. There can’t be many historical consultants with stories about meeting Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt!
Now Bruce can add yet another to his long list of celebrity work colleagues: fellow TV personality and former UK Special Forces soldier Jason Fox. The two men host Sky HISTORY’s Battle Treasures with Foxy and Bruce, providing fresh insights into guns, swords and other items from centuries of warfare.
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