Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet Bruce Austin Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape GCB
, KBE
(5 February 1888 – 12 February 1981) was a senior British admiral during World War II
.
as a Cadet on 15 January 1904. He rapidly marked himself out as a young man who had the potential to go far in the service and achieved first class passes in all his Sub-Lieutenant's exams, which he took between March 1907 and December 1908. He was promoted Sub-Lieutenant on 15 March 1907 and Lieutenant on 15 March 1908. His time in these ranks was mainly spent in the Channel and Mediterranean Fleets. He returned to the Home Fleet in August 1910 and remained there serving in HMS Boadicea
until the end of July the following year. On 31 July 1911 Fraser joined HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy's school of Gunnery at Whale Island in Portsmouth harbour where he commenced the 'long course' to qualify as a specialist Gunnery Lieutenant. Promotions to Lieutenant-Commander followed in March 1916, Commander in June 1919 and Captain in June 1926.
Fraser served in the cruiser
HMS Minerva
in the Dardanelles and East Indies and then in the battleship
HMS Resolution during World War I
. After the war he was captured and imprisoned by Bolshevik
s in Russia
in 1919 but released in 1920. He then served in the Naval Ordnance Department from 1922 before becoming a Fleet Gunnery Officer and then Head of the Tactical Section of the Naval Staff in 1927. He was appointed to command the cruiser
HMS Effingham
in 1930 and then became Director of the Naval Ordnance Department in 1933.
He returned to sea in command of the aircraft carrier
HMS Glorious in 1936 and then became Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers in 1936. He reached Flag rank as a Rear Admiral in January 1938 and was made Chief of Staff
to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet
in 1939. In May 1940 he was promoted Vice Admiral.
. In 1942 as a Vice Admiral he was made Second-in-Command, Home Fleet and Flag Officer, 2nd Battle Squadron. Fraser was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet with the acting rank of Admiral in May 1943, a rank that was confirmed in February 1944.
During that period he commanded the Royal Navy
force that destroyed the Scharnhorst
at the Battle of North Cape
on December 26, 1943. Units of the Home Fleet regularly escorted convoys to Murmansk
in the Soviet Union
. Fraser was convinced that Scharnhorst would attempt an attack on Convoy JW 55B
, and put to sea in his flagship HMS Duke of York
to reach a position between the convoy and the German battleship's base in North Norway. During the afternoon before the battle Fraser was described by one of his officers: "He wore no naval uniform as such, he just wore old trousers and a polo neck shirt and sweater and a rather battered admiral's hat, with his pipe belching sparks and flame. He moved among us all . . it was a real triumph of a single personality dominating a ship's company". Thus Fraser avenged the destruction by Scharnhorst in 1940 of his old command, HMS Glorious
.
Following his command of the Home Fleet, he went east in the summer of 1944 to take command firstly of the Eastern Fleet in 1944 and then of the powerful British Pacific Fleet
later that year. Unlike his time in command of the Home Fleet this was not a seagoing command. He commanded from ashore in Australia
. The BPF took part in the assault on Okinawa and the final strikes on the Japan
ese home islands.
Fraser was the British signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
at Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.
In 1946 Fraser was raised to the peerage as Baron Fraser of North Cape, of Molesey in the County of Surrey. Following the war he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
in 1947 and then First Sea Lord
and Chief of the Naval Staff in 1948. He retired in 1951 with the rank of Admiral of the Fleet
. Lord Fraser of North Cape died in February 1981, aged 93, when the barony became extinct.
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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...
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(5 February 1888 – 12 February 1981) was a senior British admiral during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early naval career
Fraser joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a Cadet on 15 January 1904. He rapidly marked himself out as a young man who had the potential to go far in the service and achieved first class passes in all his Sub-Lieutenant's exams, which he took between March 1907 and December 1908. He was promoted Sub-Lieutenant on 15 March 1907 and Lieutenant on 15 March 1908. His time in these ranks was mainly spent in the Channel and Mediterranean Fleets. He returned to the Home Fleet in August 1910 and remained there serving in HMS Boadicea
HMS Boadicea (1908)
HMS Boadicea was the lead ship of the Boadicea-class scout cruisers which served with the British Royal Navy. She was built at Pembroke Dockyard, being laid down in June 1907, launched on 14 May 1908 and commissioned in June 1909.-Design:...
until the end of July the following year. On 31 July 1911 Fraser joined HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy's school of Gunnery at Whale Island in Portsmouth harbour where he commenced the 'long course' to qualify as a specialist Gunnery Lieutenant. Promotions to Lieutenant-Commander followed in March 1916, Commander in June 1919 and Captain in June 1926.
Fraser served in the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Minerva
HMS Minerva (1895)
HMS Minerva was a second class protected cruiser of the Eclipse class.Minerva was laid down at Chatham Dockyard, Kent, on December 4, 1893, and was floated out on September 23, 1895. It was scrapped in 1920....
in the Dardanelles and East Indies and then in the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Resolution 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...
. After the war he was captured and imprisoned by Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1919 but released in 1920. He then served in the Naval Ordnance Department from 1922 before becoming a Fleet Gunnery Officer and then Head of the Tactical Section of the Naval Staff in 1927. He was appointed to command the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Effingham
HMS Effingham (D98)
HMS Effingham was a Hawkins-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was commissioned at Portsmouth in 1925, having had her construction halted for several years following the end of the First World War in 1918...
in 1930 and then became Director of the Naval Ordnance Department in 1933.
He returned to sea in command of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
HMS Glorious in 1936 and then became Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers in 1936. He reached Flag rank as a Rear Admiral in January 1938 and was made Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
in 1939. In May 1940 he was promoted Vice Admiral.
Second World War
At the outset of the War Fraser was appointed Third Sea Lord and Controller of the NavyThird Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
. In 1942 as a Vice Admiral he was made Second-in-Command, Home Fleet and Flag Officer, 2nd Battle Squadron. Fraser was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet with the acting rank of Admiral in May 1943, a rank that was confirmed in February 1944.
During that period he commanded the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
force that destroyed the Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
at the Battle of North Cape
Battle of North Cape
The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battlecruiser , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by superior...
on December 26, 1943. Units of the Home Fleet regularly escorted convoys to Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Fraser was convinced that Scharnhorst would attempt an attack on Convoy JW 55B
Convoy JW 55B
Convoy JW 55B was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late December 1943, reaching the Soviet northern ports at the end of the month...
, and put to sea in his flagship HMS Duke of York
HMS Duke of York (17)
HMS Duke of York was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Laid down in May 1937, the ship was constructed by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4 November 1941, subsequently seeing service during the Second World War.In...
to reach a position between the convoy and the German battleship's base in North Norway. During the afternoon before the battle Fraser was described by one of his officers: "He wore no naval uniform as such, he just wore old trousers and a polo neck shirt and sweater and a rather battered admiral's hat, with his pipe belching sparks and flame. He moved among us all . . it was a real triumph of a single personality dominating a ship's company". Thus Fraser avenged the destruction by Scharnhorst in 1940 of his old command, HMS Glorious
HMS Glorious (77)
HMS Glorious was the second of the cruisers built for the British Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, Lord Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Glorious was completed in late 1916...
.
Following his command of the Home Fleet, he went east in the summer of 1944 to take command firstly of the Eastern Fleet in 1944 and then of the powerful British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
later that year. Unlike his time in command of the Home Fleet this was not a seagoing command. He commanded from ashore in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The BPF took part in the assault on Okinawa and the final strikes on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese home islands.
Japanese Instrument of Surrender
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist...
at Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.
Later career
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
in 1947 and then First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
and Chief of the Naval Staff in 1948. He retired in 1951 with the rank of Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
. Lord Fraser of North Cape died in February 1981, aged 93, when the barony became extinct.
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