Theodore Fraser Major - General Sir Theodore Fraser KCB , CSI , CMG ( 15 June 1865 – 22 May 1953 ) , was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers , serving for most of his career with the Indian Army . He was born on 15 June 1865 in Inverness , Scotland to parents Rev . Donald Fraser D . D . and Theresa Eliza Isabella Gordon , the fourth daughter of Major - General Alexander Gordon of the Royal Engineers . Education and career . From University College School he went to Clare College , Cambridge , obtaining his commission direct into the Royal Engineers in February 1886 . Indian service soon brought him experience of frontier warfare . He was in the Chin - Lushai expedition of 1889 - 90 and the Hazara expedition in 1891 . He was promoted to Captain in August , 1896 , and an adjutant of the 2nd Division during the Tirah campaign of 1897 - 98 . In February to December , 1900 his experience was put to further use as a Special Service Officer stationed in Cape Colony , the Orange Free State , and the Frederickstad in Western Transvaal during the Second Boer War . In 1901 he was sent into the Staff College , promoting Major in September , 1904 with the appointed role of Deputy Assistant Adjutant General ( D . A . A . G . ) of the Bombay Brigade in February , 1905 . His role was changed to Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General ( D . A . Q . M . G . ) at British Army headquarters in Simla in November , 1907 . He stayed on at the headquarters for two years . In February , 1909 he assumed the role of a Professor and General Staff Officer Grade 2 , instructing young officers at the Command and Staff College in Quetta for the next three years , promoting to Lieutenant - Colonel in December , 1912 . Shortly after promotion he was sent to the Britannia Royal Naval College . Though he was eager for active service during World War I , he was given an administrative role of Embarkation Commandant . It was not until March , 1915 , that he was appointed Assistant Adjutant ( A . A . ) and Quartermaster General ( Q . M . G . ) of the Lahore Division and in France . In this capacity , and later as Assistant Quartermaster General ( A . Q . M . G . ) he was with the division at " Second Ypres " and the battles of Aubers Ridge and Festubert . In May , 1916 , Colonel Fraser was appointed the administrative role of General Staff Officer Grade 1 ( G . S . O . 1 ) of the newly formed 15th ( Indian ) Division , stationing on the Euphrates front until October of that same year where he was again transferred to the III Corps as Brigadier - General General Staff . He led the Corps through the Battle of Kut , and the maneuver leading to the occupation of Baghdad , and then the operations on the Adhaim in April , 1917 . He had received a brevet in March , and reached the substantive rank of Colonel in December , by which time the operations in the Jabal Hamrin area had been concluded . From February to April , 1918 , he acted as Chief of the General Staff to General William Marshall , the Commander - in - Chief of the Mesopotamian campaign . He assumed the command of the 15th Division in September 1918 , the 18th Division in the following March , and promoting to Major - General in June 1919 . While assigned to the 18th Division , Fraser was tasked to lead " South Kurdistan Force " to conduct operations against Shaikh Mahmud Barzanji , who was leading a localized rebellion . Barzenji was wounded and ultimately captured by Fraser ' s forces . He later was engaged in other Kurdistan operations of 1919 - 20 , relinquishing command in October , 1921 , From March to November , 1922 , he commanded the forces in Iraq , but was not again employed until May 1924 , when he was appointed General Officer Commanding ( GOC ) Malaya Command . He performed his tour of duty in Singapore for the next three years until his retirement on 9 June 1927 , with Major - General C . C . Van Straubenzee , KBE , CB , CMG ( 1867 – 1956 ) replacing him as the next GOC Malaya on 16 June 1927 . Sir Theodore Fraser died in a nursing home on 22 May 1953 in Putney , London , at the age of 87 . His funeral was carried at out the Putney Vale Crematorium at 2 . 30 p . m . on Tuesday , 26 May 1953 .