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Major General Simon Joseph Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat and 3rd Baron Lovat, (25 November 1871 – 18 February 1933) was a Scottish aristocrat,
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
officer, landowner, politician and the 23rd Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat.


Early life

Fraser was born into a leading Scottish
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
family on 25 November 1871, the eldest surviving son of nine children born to
Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat and 2nd Baron Lovat, (21 December 1828 – 6 September 1887) was a Scottish nobleman, landowner, and soldier. He was the 22nd Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat in the Scottish Highlands, and responsible for overseeing ...
, and Alice Maria Weld-Blundell. Among his siblings were Mary Laura Fraser (wife of John Scott, Viscount Encombe and mother of John Scott, 4th Earl of Eldon), Alice Mary Charlotte Fraser (wife of Bernard Constable-Maxwell and mother of Gerald Maxwell), Etheldreada Mary Fraser (wife of diplomat Sir Francis Oswald Lindley), Hugh Joseph Fraser, a Major with the
Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...
who was killed in the
First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
), Alastair Thomas Joseph Fraser (husband of Lady Sibyl Grimston, daughter of James Grimston, 3rd Earl of Verulam), Margaret Mary Fraser (wife of Brig.-Gen. Archibald Stirling and mother of Bill and Sir David Stirling) and Muriel Mary Rose Fraser, who became a Catholic nun. His father served as Lord Lieutenant of Inverness and aide-de-camp to
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
from 1883 to 1887. Educated at Fort Augustus Abbey and
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
, he was an active member of the Oxford University polo team and left with an MA.


Military career

Lord Lovat was commissioned into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and promoted
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
in 1890, but transferred as a lieutenant into the 1st Life Guards in 1894. In 1897, he resigned from the Regular Army and joined a volunteer battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.


Boer War and Lovat Scouts

In late 1899, Fraser raised the
Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit, and were renowned for their elite reconnaissance capabili ...
for service in the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
in South Africa, and from February 1900 served as the scouts'
second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...
with the rank of captain, in charge of the mounted infantry. For the Lovat Scouts, he chose the best marksmen he could find and the perfect commander in Andrew David Murray. The corps arrived in South Africa in early 1900, and was attached to the
Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
, but was disbanded in July 1901 while two companies (the 113th and 114th) were formed for the
Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...
. Lord Lovat continued as second-in-command of the two companies until Colonel Murray was killed in a night action with a Boer Commando on 19/20 September 1901, after which Fraser took command of the regiment himself (now aged 29), and remained in command until the end of the war. The war ended in June 1902, and Lord Lovat relinquished his commission with the Imperial Yeomanry and was granted the honorary rank of major in the army on 11 July 1902. He returned to the United Kingdom with the corps on the SS ''Tintagel Castle'' the following month, arriving to a public welcome in
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
in late August. For his service in the war, he was
mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...
(including the final despatch by Lord Kitchener dated 23 June 1902), was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...
(DSO) in 1900, and appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...
(CB) in October 1902. After the end of the Second Boer War, the remaining two companies returned to the United Kingdom and were disbanded. The unit was reformed the following year, consisting of two regiments, titled the 1st and 2nd Lovat Scouts. From these scouts a sharpshooter unit was formed and formally become the British Army's first
sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...
unit. Lord Lovat was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1903 by King
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
. He later served as aide-de-camp to King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
.


First World War

In the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Lord Lovat commanded the Highland Mounted Brigade of the 2nd Mounted Division, being promoted to brigadier general in September 1914. He was appointed a Knight of the Thistle in 1915 for demonstrable leadership and courage. In March 1916, he took command of the 4th Mounted Division and became a major general two months later. He became a Rhodes Trustee in 1917, the same year as
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
. In 1919, Lovat was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
and was appointed Chairman of the Army Forestry Commission, serving from 1919 to 1927.


Political career

Apart from a military career Lovat was also Chairman of the Forestry Commission from 1919 to 1927 and served in the Conservative administration of
Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...
as Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs from 1927 to 1929.


Personal life

In February 1910, Lord Lovat was rumoured to be engaged to an American heiress, Edith Clark, a daughter of Charles S. Clark of New York and
Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...
, London. However, on 15 October 1910, Lovat married the Hon. Laura Lister (1892–1965), the second daughter of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale and, his first wife, Charlotte Monkton Tennant (a daughter of
Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Clow Tennant, 1st Baronet, (4 November 1823 – 4 June 1906) was a Scottish businessman, industrialist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Early life Tennant was the son of John Tennant (1796–1878) and Robina (née Arrol ...
, MP for Peebles and Selkirk). Among the Fraser family estates was Beaufort Castle in Scotland (rebuilt by his father in the late 1870s) and 181,800 acres of land. Together, they were the parents of five children, four of whom lived to maturity: * ''Simon'' Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat (1911–1995), who married Rosamond Delves Broughton, the only daughter of Sir Henry Broughton, 11th Baronet, in 1938. * ''Magdalen'' Mary Charlotte Fraser (1913–1969), who married her cousin John Scott, 4th Earl of Eldon, a Royal Auxiliary Air Force officer and was the mother of John Scott, 5th Earl of Eldon. * Sir ''Hugh'' Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser (1918–1984), an MP for Stafford and Stone, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and
Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...
who married author Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Pakenham, a daughter of
Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (5 December 1905 – 3 August 2001), known to his family as Frank Longford and styled Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and social reformer. A member of the Labour Party (U ...
and Elizabeth Pakenham, Countess of Longford, in 1956. They divorced in 1977. * ''Veronica'' Nell Fraser (1920–2005), a food writer and hotelier who married Lt. Alan Phipps of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
in 1940. After his death in 1944, she married
Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean, 1st Baronet (11 March 1911 – 15 June 1996), was a British Army officer, writer and politician. A Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) from 1941 to 1974 Maclean was one of only two soldiers who during the Second Wor ...
in 1946. * Mary Diana ''Rose'' Fraser (1926–1940), who died at age 14. Lovat died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in London in February 1933, aged 61, and was succeeded by his eldest son Simon as the 15th Lord Lovat (known as the 17th Lord), who distinguished himself during the
D-Day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
at
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
in June 1944.


Descendants

Through his eldest son Simon, he was a grandfather of six, including Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat (1939–1994), Fiona Mary Fraser (b. 1941) (wife of Robin Richard Allen), Annabel Thérèse "Tessa" Fraser (b. 1942) (wife of
Hugh Mackay, 14th Lord Reay Hugh William Mackay, 14th Lord Reay, Baron Mackay (19 July 1937 – 10 May 2013) was a British politician and Conservative member of the House of Lords. He was the only male Lord of Parliament to sit in the House of Lords following the aboliti ...
and Sir Henry Keswick), Kim Ian Maurice Fraser (1946–2020), Hugh Alastair Joseph Fraser (1947–2011) (husband of Drusilla Jane Montgomerie),"Obituary: The Rt. Hon. Hugh Fraser, farmer (1947–2011)"
''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
''
Andrew Roy Matthew Fraser (1952–1994) (husband of Lady Charlotte Anne Greville, a daughter of David Greville, 8th Earl of Warwick). Through his daughter Magdalen, he was a grandfather of three, including John Joseph Nicholas Scott, 5th Earl of Eldon (1937–2017) and Simon Peter Scott (b. 1939). Through his son Sir Hugh, he was a grandfather of six, including Rebecca Rose Fraser (b. 1957), Flora Fraser (b. 1958), Benjamin Hugh Fraser (b. 1961), Natasha Fraser (b. 1963), Damian Fraser (b. 1964), and Orlando Fraser (b. 1967).


References


Bibliography

* *''Dictionary of National Biography''


External links

*
ThePeerage.com
\ {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovat, Simon Fraser, 14th Lord 1871 births 1933 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area) People educated at Fort Augustus Abbey Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights of the Thistle Clan Fraser British foresters Scottish Roman Catholics British Life Guards officers Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders officers British Army cavalry generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Lovat Scouts officers Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Ampleforth College Fraser, Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lords Lovat