David William Fraser
Encyclopedia
General
Sir David William Fraser, GCB
, OBE
(born 30 December 1920) is a retired British Army
officer who became Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
.
MC
, who had been the military attaché in Paris
when the Second World War begun, David Fraser was educated at Eton College
and Christ Church College, Oxford. He left school to enlist at earliest opportunity after the Second World War
begun, and joined his father's regiment, the Grenadier Guards
in 1940, serving for much of the War with the Guards Armoured Division, later in North West Europe, ending the war in the rank of Major
.
He was involved afterwards in the Malayan Emergency
in 1948, the Suez Crisis
in 1956 and the Cyprus Emergency
in 1958.
He was appointed General Officer Commanding
4th Division
in 1969, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) in 1971 and Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1973. He went on to be British Military Representative to NATO in 1975, and Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
in 1977 before retiring in 1980.
He was appointed KCB
in 1973.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir David William Fraser, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 30 December 1920) is a retired British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies
The Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies was a UK senior serving military officer between 1972 and 2001. The post rotated through the three branches of the armed forces in turn. In 1971 the old Imperial Defence College became the Royal College of Defence Studies...
.
Military career
Born the son of Brigadier The Honourable William Fraser (1890–1964) DSODistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, who had been the military attaché in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
when the Second World War begun, David Fraser was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church College, Oxford. He left school to enlist at earliest opportunity after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
begun, and joined his father's regiment, the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
in 1940, serving for much of the War with the Guards Armoured Division, later in North West Europe, ending the war in the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
He was involved afterwards in the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
in 1948, the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
in 1956 and the Cyprus Emergency
Modern history of Cyprus
This article covers the modern history of Cyprus, from 1878 to the present.-Cyprus as a Protectorate:In 1878 as a result of the Cyprus Convention, the United Kingdom received as a protectorate, the island of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for United Kingdoms military support to the...
in 1958.
He was appointed General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
4th Division
4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
in 1969, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) in 1971 and Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1973. He went on to be British Military Representative to NATO in 1975, and Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies
The Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies was a UK senior serving military officer between 1972 and 2001. The post rotated through the three branches of the armed forces in turn. In 1971 the old Imperial Defence College became the Royal College of Defence Studies...
in 1977 before retiring in 1980.
He was appointed KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1973.
Family
In 1947 he married Anne Balfour-Fraser but they divorced in 1952; they had one daughter (Antonia Isabella Fraser). In 1957 he married Julia Frances Oldridge de la Hey; they have two sons (Alexander James Fraser and Simon William Fraser) and two daughters (Lucy Caroline Fraser and Arabella Katherine Fraser).Books
He is the author of 21 books:- Knight's Cross : A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
- Frederick the Great : King of Prussia
- And We Shall Shock Them: British Army in the Second World War
- Alanbrooke
- Blitz
- The Grenadier Guards (Men at Arms Series, 73) 8 copies
- Fairest Isle: BBC Radio 3 Book of British Music
- The Fortunes of War
- The Jews of the Channel Islands and the Rule of Law, 1940-1945: “Quite Contrary to the Principles of British Justice”, Sussex Academic Press, Eastbourne, 2002
- The Fragility of Law: Constitutional Patriotism and the Jews of Belgium, 1940–1945, Routledge-Cavendish, 2008
- Yr anturiaethwyr
- The Christian Watt Papers
- Wales in History: The Defenders, 1066-1485 Bk. 2
- Codename Mercury (Hardrow Chronicles)
- Around the House
- Law After Auschwitz: Towards A Jurisprudence Of The Holocaust
- Wars and Shadows : Memoirs of General Sir David Fraser
- A Candle for Judas (Treason in Arms)
- Dragon's Teeth (Treason in Arms)
- The Pain of Winning (Hardrow Chronicles)
- Imperatives for Defence (Policy challenge), 1990
- Adam Hardrow (Hardrow Chronicles)
- Adam in the Breach (Hardrow Chronicles)
- The Killing Times (Treason in Arms)
- The Seizure (Treason in Arms)
- Wellington and the Waterloo Campaign (Wellington Lectures), March 1996
- August 1988
- To War with Whitaker: Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly, 1939-45, (Reed Audio) with Hermione, Countess of RanfurlyHermione, Countess of RanfurlyHermione, Countess of Ranfurly, OBE, , was the British author of To War With Whitaker: The Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly, 1939–1945...
, and Imogen Stubbs (Audio Cassette, 1995) - Kiss for the Enemy (Thorndike Large Print Popular Series)