William Archibald Kenneth Fraser | |
---|---|
Born | December 19, 1886 |
Died | February 9, 1969 | (aged 82)
Place of death | Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
Allegiance |
|
Service/branch | British Indian Army |
Years of service | 40 |
Rank | Major-General |
Commands held |
South Persia Rifles Sam Brownes Cavalry (12th Frontier Force) Mhow Brigade 10th Indian Infantry Division |
Awards |
Companion of the Order of the Bath (1941)[1] Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1922)[2] Distinguished Service Order (1919)[3] (1922)[4] Member of the Royal Victorian Order (1928)[5] Military Cross (1916)[6] Mentioned in Despatches (1916)[7] Military Cross (1st Class) (Belgium) (1948)[8] |
William Archibald Kenneth Fraser, CB, CBE, DSO and Bar, MVO, MC (1886–1969) was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War I and World War II.
Military career[]
Born the son of Colonel James Fraser of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Fraser trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and then joined the Indian Army in 1905.[9] He served with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and 16th The Queen's Lancers on the Western Front during World War I taking part in the Great Retreat in August 1914, the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 and the Battle of Arras in April 1917.[9]
He became Commanding Officer of the South Persia Rifles in 1919, Assistant Quartermaster General in 1920 and Inspector General of the South Persia Rifles later that year.[9] He went on to be military attaché in Kabul in 1922, military attaché in Teheran in 1924 and military Secretary to Governor of Bengal in 1930.[9] He was made Commandant of Sam Browne's Cavalry and Commander of the 10th (Jubbulpore) Infantry Brigade in 1936, a General Staff Officer Grade 1 at Lahore District in 1936 and Commander of the Mhow Brigade in 1938.[9]
He served in World War II and, having been promoted to major-general on 26 December 1940 with seniority from 21 April 1940,[10] he became Commander of the 10th Indian Infantry Division on 15 January 1941.[11]
During the Anglo-Iraqi War in 1941, the ground forces from India that landed in Basra were initially part of an operation codenamed Operation Sabine and, as a result, the force itself was known as Sabine Force. Fraser, commander of Indian 10th Infantry Division, arrived in Basra on 18 April with his headquarters, one brigade of infantry and a regiment of artillery and assumed command of all ground forces in the Kingdom of Iraq.[12] The name Iraqforce replaced Sabine Force[13] and as force levels built up Fraser was succeeded as commander of Iraqforce on 8 May by a more senior commander, Lieutenant-General Edward Quinan.[14] On 16 May, having fallen sick, Fraser was replaced as commander of the Indian 10th Infantry Division by Major-General William Slim.[15] Fraser retired on 1 June 1941.[16]
Fraser was then re-employed by the British Army in the rank of colonel from 18 December 1941 until November 1945 as the military attaché in Teheran; he was restored to the rank of major-general on retiring once again.[17]
Honours and Decorations[]
- CB - 1 January 1941[1]
- CBE - 29 September 1922 – for valuable services rendered in connection with minor military operations undertaken by the South Persia Rifles, to be dated 1 September 1922[2]
- DSO - 12 September 1919 to date from 3 June 1919 for ‘distinguished services rendered in connection with military operations on the North West Frontier, India, in Persia and Trans-Caspasia.[3] & bar - 17 June 1921 for ‘distinguished services rendered in connection with minor military operations within the Indian Empire or territories adjacent thereto’[4]
- MVO - 20 March 1928, for the visit of the King of Afghanistan[5]
- MC - 14 January 1916 to date from 1 January 1916 – New Years honours[6]
- Mentioned in despatches - 1 January 1916[7]
- Belgian Military Cross 1st class - 14 May 1948[8]
- Order of Astaur and sash awarded 1928 by Kingdom of Afghanistan
Personal life[]
He married in 1920 Cicely Annie Bill, widow of John Hugo Hepburn Bill (Wellington & Oxford), I.C.S. (they were married in 1911 and he was killed by Kurds 3 November 1919 whilst he was Lt-Col & Political Officer, Mosul, late resident at Bushire), daughter of Major Robert W. Bill and had one daughter, born 27 November 1923.
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "No. 35029". 1 January 1941. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35029/supplement/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "No. 32751". 29 September 1922. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32751/page/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "No. 31547". 12 September 1919. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31547/supplement/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "No. 32361". 17 June 1921. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32361/supplement/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "No. 33368". 7 November 2012. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33368/page/
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "No. 29438". 11 January 1916. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29438/supplement/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "No. 29422". 31 December 1915. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29422/supplement/
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "No. 38288". 11 May 1948. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38288/supplement/
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ "No. 35105". 11 March 1941. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35105/supplement/
- ↑ "No. 35127". 4 April 1941. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35127/page/
- ↑ Playfair, p. 179.
- ↑ Lyman, p.19
- ↑ Playfair, p. 186.
- ↑ Kempton, p. 71
- ↑ "No. 35241". 8 August 1941. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35241/page/
- ↑ "No. 37503". 15 March 1946. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37503/supplement/
References[]
- Kempton, Chris (2003). Loyalty and Honour: the Indian Army: September 1939 - August 1947. Part I: Divisions. Milton Keynes: Military Press. ISBN 0-85420-228-5.
- Lyman, Robert (2006). Iraq 1941: The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad. Campaign. Oxford, New York: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-991-6.
- Mackenzie, Compton (1951). Eastern Epic. London: Chatto & Windus. OCLC 1412578.
- Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; with Flynn, Captain F.C. (R.N.); Molony, Brigadier C.J.C. & Toomer, Air Vice-Marshall S.E. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1956]. Butler, J.R.M. ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume II: The Germans come to the help of their Ally (1941). History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-066-1.
- Indian Army List (various dates)
- Watson, Major-General W.A.. King George's Own Central India Horse.
External references[]
- Ammentorp, Steen. "Generals of World War II". http://www.generals.dk/general/Fraser/William_Archibald_Kenneth/Great_Britain.html. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- "Orders of Battle.com". http://www.ordersofbattle.com/OOBDefault.aspx. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- Portrait and Biography
The original article can be found at William Archibald Kenneth Fraser and the edit history here.