Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat - Definition

Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, DSO, MC (9 July 1911 - 16 March 1995) was the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser and a legendary British Commando during the Second World War. He was also the 4th Baron Lovat in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

He was born at Beaufort Castle, Inverness and was educated at Ampleworth College and Oxford University where he joined the University's Cavalry Squadron. He joined, after graduating in 1932, the prestigious Scots Guards as a commissioned officer. The following year his father died and thus Simon Fraser became the 15th Lord Lovat and 25th Chief of the Fraser Clan.

In 1939 the Second World War began and thus the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. The following year Lord Lovat volunteered for the new Commando units being formed by the British Army. He eventually joined No. 4 Commando and in 1941 he, and the rest of No. 4 Commando as-well as No. 3 Commando, took part in the raid on the German-occupied Norwegian Lofoten Islands which was launched on the morning of 3 March. The raid was enormously successful. The Commandos had destroyed a significant number of fish-oil factories, petrol dumps and 11 ships. They also seized encryption equipment and codebooks. The Commandos also captured 216 German troops and 315 Norwegians chose to return to the UK with the Commandos.

In April Lord Lovat commanded 100 men of 4 Commando as-well as a 50 man detachment from the Canadian Carleton and York Regiment that took part in a raid on the French coastal village of Hardelot. Lord Lovat subsequently commanded the unit during the fateful and abortive August Dieppe Raid. Lord Lovat's unit provided the only success of that raid when they attacked a battery of 6 150mm guns and destroyed them. The raid as a whole was a disatrous faliure. The Allied force, the vast majority of which were Canadian, sustained dreadfully high casualities inflicted on them by the Germans.

Lord Lovat eventually became a Brigadier and commanded the newly formed 1 Special Service Brigade. On 6 June 1944, D-Day, Lord Lovat and his unit landed at Sword Beach. Lord Lovat cut quite an eccentric figure as he waded ashore. He wore a white jumper with "Lovat" inscribed into the collar; armed with an old Winchester rifle and rolled umbrella. Lord Lovat also instructed his personal Piper Bill Millin to pipe then ashore, in defiance against specific orders issued not to allow such actions in battle The scene was immortalised in the movie The Longest Day.

Lovat's forces swiftly pressed on, Lovat himself advancing with parts of his Brigade from Sword Beach to Pegasus Bridge which had been defiantly defended by men of the 6th Airborne Division who had landed on the 5 June. The force at Pegasus were relieved by Lord Lovat's Commando unit, who arrived almost exactly on time, late by only two minutes (for which Lord Lovat apologised to Major John Howard, Ox and Bucks), and who arrived once more to the sound of Bill Millin's bagpipes.

On the 12th June Lord Lovat was seriously wounded during the attack on Bréville. Lord Lovat and other senior officers had been observing the massive artillery bombardment by the 51st Highland Division on the village when a stray shell from that division fell short of its target and landed amongst the officers. The other casualties were Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Johnston, commanding officer (CO) of the 12th Parachute Battalion who was killed and Brigadier Hugh Kindersley of the 6th Airlanding Brigade who was severely wounded.

Lord Lovat made a full-recovery from the severe wounds he had received in France though was unable to return to the forces. Winston Churchill instead requested him to become Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms in the House of Lords. However, Lord Lovat declined the offer and in 1945 joined the Government as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He later became Minister for Economic Warfare though he resigned upon Winston Churchill's post-war election defeat.

Lord Lovat retained his involvement in politics, though it was primarily on Highland affairs in the House of Lords and participation in the Inverness County Council. He also devoted much time to the family estates but Lord Lovat also suffered much tragedy just before he passed away. Two of his sons predeceased him within months of each other in accidents and he also suffered financial ruin. A year before his death, in 1995, the residence of Lord Lovat, Beaufort Castle, was sold.

Piper Bill Millin, Lord Lovat's personal piper who had piped the Commandos ashore on D-Day, performed at Lord Lovat's funeral.

The Lovat Scouts, a regiment formed in 1900 by his father during the Boer War, garrisonned the Faroe Islands and also saw service in Italy during the Second World War. The regiment is now no more though the name lives on as the Lovat Scouts Platoon, C (Highlanders) Company, 51st Highland Regiment of the British Army.