Early life Fraser was born in
Edinburgh, the son of Susanna Fraser () and
Sir Thomas Fraser, a prominent physician and
pharmacologist. The youngest of the family, he had three sisters and seven brothers, including
Sir Francis Fraser who, like his father, became a leading medical researcher. After attending
Edinburgh Academy and
Oriel College, Oxford, In July 1916, he joined the Seaforth's 8th Battalion in France. Here he was wounded on 11 September 1916, and
mentioned in dispatches in December 1917. He retired from the Army in 1921 with the rank of captain.
Inter war career In 1919, Fraser joined the chemical company Brunner Mond & Co as a manager,
World War II On the outbreak of the
Second World War a significant number of businessmen were seconded to the civil service, particularly in field of army supply. Fraser was part of this group, joining the
War Office in 1939 as Assistant Director General of Progress and Statistics, then Director of Investigation and Statistics in 1940. By 1942 aircraft production had rapidly expanded from a number of small innovative companies to be the largest industry in the country. MAP's role was to monitor and co-ordinate the activity of the industry to maximise output, particularly of bombers, and intervene to remove inefficiency and bad practice where necessary. While Fraser was Director General, Cripps developed Joint Production Consultation Committees, set up in each aircraft factory to allow an exchange of views between managers and workers. These mirrored ICI labour relations policies, which had already recognised works councils for a number of years.
Post war From 1946 until his retirement in 1958 Fraser was Sales Controller for ICI. He also served on a number of company boards and was a committee member of the Television Advisory Committee and the
British Institute of Management. They had no children. Living in
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Fraser retired from ICI in 1958 Fraser was a
Freemason, initiated in the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No 4 (London) in June 1943, and later also a member of the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Chapter of
Royal Arch Masonry. ==References==