Charles 'Pop' Fraser

{{Short description|South African military commander}}

{{Use South African English|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant General

| name = Charles Alan Fraser

| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals | country = ZAR | SSA52|SM52}}

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| image = Charles Fraser.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|04|06|df=y}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1994|12|18|1915|04|06}}

| birth_place = Mooi River, Natal, Union of South Africa{{cite book|last=Uys|first=Ian|title=South African Military Who's Who 1452-1992|year=1992|publisher=Fortress Publishers|isbn=0-9583173-3-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/southafricanmili0000uysi}}

| death_place = Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

| placeofburial =

| placeofburial_label =

| placeofburial_coordinates =

| nickname = Pop, Alan

| birth_name =

| allegiance = {{flag|South Africa|1928|name=Republic of South Africa}}

| branch = {{army|South Africa|1928}}

| serviceyears = 1934{{ndash}}1973

| rank = Lieutenant General

| servicenumber =

| unit =

| commands = Chief of the Army

| battles = World War II

| battles_label = Wars

| awards = {{MilAward Stack |SSA52 |SM52 |Union |Star1939_45 |AfricaStar8Army |ItalyStar |DefenceMedalWWII |WarMed1939_45 |ASM|size=x12px}}

| relations =

| laterwork = South African Ambassador to Iran

| signature =

| spouse = {{Marriage|Nancy Frances Margaret Ford|Sep 1939 |20 June 1986|end=died}}

| website =

}}

Lieutenant-General Charles Alan 'Pop' Fraser {{Post-nominals | country = ZAR | SSA52|SM52}} (6 April 1915{{snd}}18 December 1994){{cite web|url=http://www.saxonlodge.net/getperson.php?personID=I5120&tree=Tatham|title=Charles Alan Fraser}} was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Army as a part-time Active Citizen Force soldier in 1934, and became a full-time Permanent Force member in 1946. He served in World War II.

With the rank of captain, he completed the 5th Senior Staff Duties War course at the British Middle East Staff College, Haifa in Palestine during the period from 8 September - 31 December 1941.

During World War II, the Cape Field Artillery was amalgamated with the 6th Field Regiment, South African Artillery, in September 1943. On 1 October 1943 became 1/6 Field Regiment. Fraser, as a lieutenant-colonel assumed command of this regiment on 21 October 1944 when Lt-Col Kay, officer commanding, died of wounds. Fraser was in turn succeeded by Lt-Col IB Whyte.{{cite encyclopedia|title = Cape Field Artillery|encyclopedia = Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa|volume = 3|pages = 30–1|publisher = Nasou Limited|year = 1971|isbn = 978-0-625-00324-2}}

He served as Chief of the Army from 1966 to 1967,{{cite journal|first1=C.J.|last1=Nöthling|first2=E.M.|last2=Meyers|title=Leaders through the years (1912-1982)|journal=Scientaria Militaria|year=1982|volume=12|issue=2|page=92|url=http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/631}} and as General Officer Commanding Joint Combat Forces, co-ordinating Army and Air Force operations and training, from 1967 to 1973. As GOCJCF, he was the third-highest-ranking officer in the South African Defence Force's Supreme Command.