David Fraser (British Army officer)

Sir David William Fraser
Born (1920-12-30)30 December 1920
Died 15 July 2012(2012-07-15) (aged 91)
Buried at Binsted
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1940–80
Rank General
Commands held Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies (1978–80)
4th Division (1969–71)
Battles/wars Second World War
Malayan Emergency
Suez Crisis
Cyprus Emergency
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Spouse(s) Anne Balfour-Fraser (m. 1947; div. 1952)
Relations Brigadier William Fraser (father)

General Sir David William Fraser, GCB, OBE (30 December 1920 – 15 July 2012) was a senior British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1978 until his retirement from military service in 1980. He was also a prolific author, publishing over 20 books mostly focused on the history of the Second World War.

Early life

Fraser was born on 30 December 1920. He was the son of Brigadier William Fraser, the younger son of the 19th Lord Saltoun, and Pamela Maude, widow of Billy Congreve a Victoria Cross recipient and daughter of actors Cyril Maude and Winifred Emery.[1] He was educated at Eton College.[2] He left school to join the British Army but was refused. Instead, in January 1940, he matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford.[1]

Military career

While studying at the University of Oxford, Fraser joined the Home Defence Force.[1] In October 1940, he was training at the Guards' Depot in Caterham, Surrey.[3] He was streamlined during training[4] before taking an intensive four-month course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1] He was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards as a second lieutenant on 4 April 1941. He was given the service number 184424.[5] His first posting was as a troop commander in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Guards Armoured Brigade, part of the Guards Armoured Division.[1] In the last two years of the Second World War, he was involved in the North West Europe Campaign.[4] He finished the war as a war substantive lieutenant.[6]

On 27 February 1946, his promotion to lieutenant was confirmed with seniority from 30 June 1943.[6] On 30 December 1947, he was promoted to captain.[7] He served as a company commander in the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards in the Malayan Emergency of 1948.[1] Having attended Staff College, he was promoted to major on 30 December 1954.[8] He was involved in the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Cyprus Emergency in 1958.[2] He was made a brevet lieutenant colonel on 1 July 1959.[9] On 6 June 1960, he was promoted to that rank.[10]

Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1962,[11] Fraser was posted to the Ministry of Defence as Director of Defence Policy (Army) from December 1966 until 1969.[12] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 4th Division in 1969, and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) in 1971.[2] He was Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff from April 1973, and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath later that year.[12][13] He went on to be UK Military Representative to NATO in 1975, and Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1978 before retiring in 1980.[2] He had been advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath just prior to his retirement.[14]

Later life

Fraser was president of the Society for Army Historical Research from 1980 to 1993.

Personal life

In 1947 he married Anne Balfour-Fraser but they divorced in 1952; they had one daughter (Antonia Isabella Fraser).[2] In 1957 he married Julia Frances Oldridge de la Hey;[2] they had two sons (Alexander James Fraser and Simon William Fraser) and two daughters (Lucy Caroline Fraser and Arabella Katherine Fraser).[15]

Books

He was the author of 21 books:[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "General Sir David Fraser". The Telegraph. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Debrett's People of Today 1994
  3. ↑ "Training for the Grenadier Guards". World War II Today. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 "General Sir David Fraser". The Herald. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35163. p. 2787. 13 May 1941. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  6. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37481. p. 1125. 22 February 1946. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38158. p. 6152. 26 December 1947. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40364. p. 7375. 28 December 1954. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41858. p. 6927. 30 October 1959. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42140. p. 6227. 9 September 1960. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 42552. p. 6. 29 December 1961. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  12. 1 2 Mackie, Colin (July 2012). "Senior Army Appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45984. p. 6474. 2 June 1973. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45984. p. 6474. 2 June 1973. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  15. ↑ The Peerage.com
  16. ↑ Library Thing
  17. ↑ From Shakespeare's King John.
    This England never did, nor never shall, Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, But when it first did help to wound itself. Now these her princes are come home again, Come the three corners of the world in arms, And we shall shock them: nought shall make us rue, If England to itself do rest but true. (5.7.112)
Military offices
Preceded by
Vernon Erskine-Crum		 General Officer Commanding the 4th Division
1969–1971 		Succeeded by
Anthony Farrar-Hockley
Preceded by
Sir Cecil Blacker		 Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff
1973–1975 		Succeeded by
Sir William Scotter
Preceded by
Sir Rae McKaig		 UK Military Representative to NATO
1975–1977 		Succeeded by
Sir Alasdair Steedman
Preceded by
Sir Ian Easton		 Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
1978–1980 		Succeeded by
Sir Robert Freer
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