Theodore Fraser
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Theodore Fraser KCB
, CSI
, CMG
(15 June 1865 – 22 May 1953), was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers
, serving for most of his career with the Indian Army. He was born on 15 June 1865 in Inverness
, Scotland
to parents Rev. Donald Fraser D.D. and Theresa Eliza Isabella Gordon, the fourth daughter of Major-General Alexander Gordon of the Royal Engineers.
he went to Clare College, Cambridge
, obtaining his commission direct into the Royal Engineers in February 1886.
Indian service soon brought him experience of frontier warfare. He was in the Chin-Lushai expedition of 1889-90 and the Hazara expedition in 1891. He was promoted to Captain
in August, 1896, and an adjutant of the 2nd Division during the Tirah campaign of 1897-98. In February to December, 1900 his experience was put to further use as a Special Service Officer stationed in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Frederickstad in Western Transvaal during the Second Boer War.
In 1901 he was sent into the Staff College, promoting Major
in September, 1904 with the appointed role of Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (D.A.A.G.) of the Bombay Brigade in February, 1905. His role was changed to Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General (D.A.Q.M.G.) at British Army headquarters in Simla
in November, 1907. He stay on the headquarters for two years.
In February, 1909 he assumed the role of a Professor and General Staff Officer Grade 2, instructing young officers at the Command and Staff College
in Quetta
for the next three years, promoting to Lieutenant-Colonel
in December, 1912. Shortly after promotion he was sent to the Britannia Royal Naval College
.
Though he was eager for active service during World War I
, he was given an administrative role of Embarkation Commandant. It was not until March, 1915, that he was appointed Assistant Adjutant (A.A.) and Quartermaster General (Q.M.G.) of the Lahore Division and in France. In this capacity, and later as Assistant Quartermaster General (A.Q.M.G.) he was with the division at "Second Ypres" and the battles of Aubers Ridge and Festubert.
In May, 1916, Colonel Fraser was appointed the administrative role of General Staff Officer Grade 1(G.S.O.1) of the newly formed 15th (Indian) Division, stationing on the Euphrates front until October of that same year where he was again transferred to the III Corps as Brigadier-General
General Staff. He led the Corps through the Battle of Kut, and the manumanoeuvre leading to the occupation of Baghdad, and then the operations on the Adhaim in April, 1917. He had received a brevet in March, and reached the substantive rank of Colonel
in December, by which time the operations in the Jabal Hamrin area had been concluded. From February to April, 1918, he acted as Chief of the General Staff to General William Marshall, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mesopotamian campaign
.
He assumed the command of the 15th Division in September 1918, the 18th Division in the following March, and promoting to Major-General in June 1919. He was engaged in the Kurdistan operations of 1919-20, and relinquished command in October, 1921, From March to November, 1922, he commanded the forces in Iraq, but was not again employed until May 1924, when he was appointed General Officer Commanding
(GOC) Malaya Command
. He performed his tour of duty in Singapore
for the next three years until his retirement on 9 June 1927, with Major-General C.C. Van Straubenzee, KBE, CB, CMG (1867–1956) replacing him as the next GOC Malaya on 16 June 1927.
Sir Theodore Fraser died in a nursing home on 22 May 1953 in Putney
, London
, at the age of 87. His funeral was carried at out the Putney Vale Crematorium at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 26 May 1953.
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...
, CSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(15 June 1865 – 22 May 1953), was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, serving for most of his career with the Indian Army. He was born on 15 June 1865 in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to parents Rev. Donald Fraser D.D. and Theresa Eliza Isabella Gordon, the fourth daughter of Major-General Alexander Gordon of the Royal Engineers.
Education and career
From University College SchoolUniversity College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
he went to Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
, obtaining his commission direct into the Royal Engineers in February 1886.
Indian service soon brought him experience of frontier warfare. He was in the Chin-Lushai expedition of 1889-90 and the Hazara expedition in 1891. He was promoted to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in August, 1896, and an adjutant of the 2nd Division during the Tirah campaign of 1897-98. In February to December, 1900 his experience was put to further use as a Special Service Officer stationed in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Frederickstad in Western Transvaal during the Second Boer War.
In 1901 he was sent into the Staff College, promoting Major
Major (UK)
In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
in September, 1904 with the appointed role of Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (D.A.A.G.) of the Bombay Brigade in February, 1905. His role was changed to Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General (D.A.Q.M.G.) at British Army headquarters in Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
in November, 1907. He stay on the headquarters for two years.
In February, 1909 he assumed the role of a Professor and General Staff Officer Grade 2, instructing young officers at the Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
for the next three years, promoting to Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
in December, 1912. Shortly after promotion he was sent to the Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
.
Though he was eager for active service during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he was given an administrative role of Embarkation Commandant. It was not until March, 1915, that he was appointed Assistant Adjutant (A.A.) and Quartermaster General (Q.M.G.) of the Lahore Division and in France. In this capacity, and later as Assistant Quartermaster General (A.Q.M.G.) he was with the division at "Second Ypres" and the battles of Aubers Ridge and Festubert.
In May, 1916, Colonel Fraser was appointed the administrative role of General Staff Officer Grade 1(G.S.O.1) of the newly formed 15th (Indian) Division, stationing on the Euphrates front until October of that same year where he was again transferred to the III Corps as Brigadier-General
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
General Staff. He led the Corps through the Battle of Kut, and the manumanoeuvre leading to the occupation of Baghdad, and then the operations on the Adhaim in April, 1917. He had received a brevet in March, and reached the substantive rank of Colonel
Colonel (UK)
Colonel is a rank of the British forces, ranking below Brigadier, and above Lieutenant Colonel. British Colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level. The insignia is two diamond shaped pips below a crown...
in December, by which time the operations in the Jabal Hamrin area had been concluded. From February to April, 1918, he acted as Chief of the General Staff to General William Marshall, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mesopotamian campaign
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
.
He assumed the command of the 15th Division in September 1918, the 18th Division in the following March, and promoting to Major-General in June 1919. He was engaged in the Kurdistan operations of 1919-20, and relinquished command in October, 1921, From March to November, 1922, he commanded the forces in Iraq, but was not again employed until May 1924, when 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...
(GOC) Malaya Command
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
. He performed his tour of duty in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
for the next three years until his retirement on 9 June 1927, with Major-General C.C. Van Straubenzee, KBE, CB, CMG (1867–1956) replacing him as the next GOC Malaya on 16 June 1927.
Sir Theodore Fraser died in a nursing home on 22 May 1953 in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, at the age of 87. His funeral was carried at out the Putney Vale Crematorium at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 26 May 1953.
Trivia
- Major-General Sir Theodore Fraser's last known home address was at The Rookery, Roehampton Lane, London in 1939.