Mini Biographies of Scots and Scots Descendants

Fraser was born the son of a General, on 5^th February 1888.
Fraser attended the navy class at Bradfield College, while his brothers went into the army class.
He passed fifth into Britannia in 1902 and passed out joint first.
Fraser also attended the Whale Island Gunnery School and achieved considerable distinction there, including compiling the Navy's handbook for Director Firing.
Fraser served aboard the light cruiser Minerva between 1914 and 1915 He had the distinction of being able to make one of the Navy's first heavy anti-aircraft guns by mounting a field gun on a capstan.
He also was a Bolshevik prisoner in 1920 and oversaw development of the Navy's Gunnery Fire Control Table. Much of his service in the inter-war years was with that cauldron of promotion, the Mediterranean Fleet, where for a period he was Fleet Gunnery officer.
As Director of Naval Ordnance, Fraser was responsible for the development of the troubled quadruple 14" turret for the 'King George V' class battleships, and the revolutionary dual-purpose 5.25" guns as secondary armament for the same class, and main armament for the 'Dido' class anti-aircraft cruisers. He had close links with Dudley Pound and with Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield. Powerful men to have on his side, though as Chief of Staff to Pound he found the same problem Ramsay had faced with another master in that Pound was unable to delegate and took far too much on his own shoulders.
On 1^st March 1939, he was made Controller of the Navy and Third Sea Lord, in which post he was responsible for the 'Flower' class corvettes.
He was promoted Vice-Admiral on 8^th May 1940 and awarded the KBE in the Birthday Hours of 1941.

Learn more about him here!