| Birth: | Jul. 9, 1911
Inverness, Scotland | | Death: | Mar. 16, 1995, Scotland | 
Scottish Nobility, World War II Commando. 15th Lord Lovat, 4th Baron Lovat, Chief of the Clan Fraser. Born into one of the oldest noble families of Scotland, he became the 15th (popularly known as the 17th) Lord Lovat in 1932. He was educated at the Benedictines' Ampleforth College, and then at Oxford. In February 1930, at age 18, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Lovat Scouts, a territorial regiment of the British Army which was founded by his father; the following year he transferred to the Scots Guards. The outbreak of World War II found him back in the Lovat Scouts with the rank of captain. He volunteered to join a commando unit, serving with Number Three 3 and Number Four Commando. With the rank of temporary major, in 1942 he led a detatchment of Number Four Commando on a raid of the German-occupied Frence village of Hardelot. For his actions during the raid, he was decorated with the Military Cross (MC). Subsequently given command of Number Four Commando with the rank of acting lieutenant colonel, he led his unit on the Dieppe Raid of August 19, 1942. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). In 1944, by then a brigadier, he led the First Special Service Brigade on D-Day. Against orders dating back to World War One, he had a piper (Bill Millin) play tunes as his unit stormed ashore Sword Beach and marched to relieve the British paratroopers of the Sixth Airborne Division holding the code-named "Pegasus" Bridge. His unit was only three minutes behind schedule relieving Major Howard's paratroops. In the 1962 film "The Longest Day," Lord Lovat was portrayed by Peter Lawford. He was wounded-in-action on June 12, 1944, and returned home. Post-war, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, was active in the House of Lords, and the Inverness County Council. At his funeral, Bill Millin, his piper on D-Day, played the bagpipes when his remains was laid to rest at St. Mary's Catholic Churchyard in Eskdale, Inverness. Tragically predeceased by two sons, he was succeeded by his grandson. (bio by: wildgoose)
Search Amazon for Simon Fraser | | | Burial:
St Mary's Churchyard
Inverness
Highland, Scotland |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: wildgoose
Record added: Mar 09, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 49460962 |
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Added by:
wildgoose
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