Charles Craufurd Fraser
Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Craufurd Fraser was a British Army officer and Conservative politician. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Early life
Fraser was the second surviving son of Sir James John Fraser, 3rd Baronet and his wife, Charlotte Anne Craufurd. He had two brothers, Sir William Fraser, 4th Baronet, MP for Barnstaple in 1852 and 1857, and Lieutenant General James Keith Fraser, the Inspector General of Cavalry in Great Britain and Ireland.His father was the second son of Sir William Fraser, 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Farquharson. His maternal grandparents were Daniel Craufurd and Bridget Holland.
Career
He joined the 7th Hussars (The Queen's Own), British Army as a cornet in 1847, became lieutenant in 1850 and captain in 1854. On January 5, 1858, he became orderly officer for Brigadier Campbell at Munseata near Allahabad and was promoted to major on July 20, 1858.Fraser transferred to the 11th Hussars in 1859 and became commanding officer as lieutenant colonel in 1861. He became colonel in 1866 and was commandant at headquarters during the Abyssinian War. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded CB. In 1868, he became Colonel of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars and was promoted to major general in 1870. He was aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cambridge, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1873 to 1877. In 1880, he became Inspector General of Cavalry in Ireland until 1884 and was later in command of the cavalry at Aldershot. He retired with the rank of lieutenant general in 1886.
Victoria Cross
Fraser was 29 years old and a major in the 7th Hussars during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, when the following deed took place on December 31, 1858 at the River Raptee, India, for which he was awarded the VC:He was also awarded the Royal Humane Society's Medal, 1st Class.