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Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser,    15th Lord Lovatt

Lord Lovat was deeply involved in the development and leadership of British Commandos during WWII, and while he was not directly in charge of the training at Achnacarry, his influence on commando training and ethos was significant and intertwined with the history of the Commando Basic Training Centre there.

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  • Born 9 July 1911 at Beaufort Castle, Inverness-shire. Educated at Ampleforth College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he joined the university Cavalry Squadron 

  • Commissioned into the Lovat Scouts (TA) in 1930, transferred to the Scots Guards in 1932. Inherited the family title as the 15th Lord Lovat and became Chief of Clan Fraser in 1933

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Founding & Training Influence

  • Mobilised as a captain in 1939. Alongside Donald Cameron of Lochiel and other Highlanders, he lobbied Churchill to form special commando units, founded on volunteerism, aimed at innovative raids by sea, air, and land 

  • While not a formal CBTC instructor, he personally participated in rigorous training at Achnacarry, shaping the Commando ethos—strong physical endurance, live-fire realism, and amphibious readiness—for which he and Donald Cameron were trailblazers

Winston Churchill praised him as “the most beautiful man who ever cut a throat,” while Hitler reportedly placed a 100,000 Reichsmark bounty on him (the infamous “Commando Order”)

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WWII Commando Service

  • Volunteered for the Commandos in 1942 as part of a Police intake, and was posted to the Commando Basic Training Centre (CBTC) at Achnacarry .

  • After completing Commando training, Lt‑Col Vaughan recognized his potential and immediately commissioned him onto the instructor staff, working alongside CSMI Alex Frickleton and Roy Bellringer as part of the elite PT team

  • His responsibilities included physical endurance, close-quarter combat, unarmed fighting techniques, and integrating rigorous fitness regimes throughout the training course

D-Day & Pegasus Bridge

  • Promoted to Brigadier, he commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade on Sword Beach, 6 June 1944. Despite official bans, he famously ordered his personal piper, Bill Millin, to play ashore:

    “Ah, but that’s the English War Office… you and I are both Scottish, and that doesn’t apply.” 

  • He led his brigade six miles to relieve “Pegasus Bridge,” arriving mid-afternoon and consoling the airborne defenders despite heavy fire. He was wounded during the Battle of Bréville on 12 June

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