George MacDonald Fraser, OBE (born 2 April 1926 in Carlisle) is a British author of both historical novels and non-fiction books. [1] The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ... A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author. ... Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. ...

Early life and military career

Born to Scottish parents in Carlisle, England, Fraser grew up and was educated in Scotland. In 1943, during World War II, he enlisted the The Border Regiment. He was assigned to Section 9, Company B, 9th Border Regiment in the Indian 17th Infantry Division in India, known as The Black Cat Division for the flashes worn by the troops. Fraser was made a Lance-Corporal four times, but was reduced to Private three times for minor offences, one of them losing a tea urn. He finally kept the rank and held it until he went to the War Office Selection Board for a commission. He detailed his active service with the Border Regiment in his autobiographical book, Quartered Safe Out Here. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot. ... The Indian 17th Infantry Division was a formation of the British Indian Army raised during World War II. It had the distinction of being continually in combat during the three-year long Burma Campaign (except for brief periods of refit). ... Lance Corporal is a military rank used by some elements of the United States and United Kingdom Armed Forces, police, and other uniformed organizations. ... Look up private in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Old War Office Building, seen from Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ...

Fraser left the Borderers on being granted a commission, and was assigned to the Gordon Highlanders. He served with them in the Middle East and North Africa immediately after the war. Fraser decided against remaining with the army and took up his demob. He has written mainly factual stories and anecdotes of his time with the Gordon Highlanders in the so-called "McAuslan" series. The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. ...

Post-war

After his discharge, Fraser worked for many years as a journalist. He was a senior editor at The Scotsman, but was passed over for promotion because of his English birth. Fraser resigned and gained fame as a novelist and a screen writer. He is best known for his Flashman series of semi-historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a "hero" of the British Army during the 19th century. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings. The Scotsmans offices in Edinburgh The Scotsman is a Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh. ... “Flashman” redirects here. ... A statue of Thomas Hughes at Rugby School Thomas Hughes (October 20, 1822 – March 22, 1896) was an English lawyer and author. ... Tom Browns Schooldays, first published in 1857, is a novel by Thomas Hughes, set at a public school, Rugby School for Boys, in the 1830s when Hughes himself had been a student there. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Flashman is a 1969 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ...

George MacDonald Fraser was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999. A traditionalist, he is an outspoken patron of the British Weights and Measures Association, which opposes compulsory metrication. He is the father of novelist Caro Fraser. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

Works

The Flashman series constitute Fraser major works. As of June, 2007, there are the following books in the series: “Flashman” redirects here. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Flashman (1969)
• Royal Flash (1970)
• Flash for Freedom! (1971)
• Flashman at the Charge (1973)
• Flashman in the Great Game (1975)
• Flashman's Lady (1977)
• Flashman and the Redskins (1982)
• Flashman and the Dragon (1985)
• Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990)
• Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994)
• Flashman and the Tiger (1999)
• Flashman on the March (2005)

Fraser's other works include: Flashman is a 1969 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Royal Flash is a 1975 movie based on George MacDonald Frasers second Flashman novel, Royal Flash. ... Flash for Freedom! is a 1971 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman at the Charge is a 1973 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman in the Great Game is a 1975 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashmans Lady is a 1977 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman and the Redskins is a 1982 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman and the Dragon is a 1986 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman and the Mountain of Light is a 1991 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman and the Angel of the Lord is a 1996 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman and the Tiger is a 1999 book by George MacDonald Fraser. ... Flashman on the March is a 2005 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ...

• Quartered Safe Out Here (1992), a memoir of his experiences as an infantryman in the Border Regiment during the Burma Campaign of World War II

• The "Dand MacNeill" or "McAuslan" stories, an indirect continuation of Quartered Safe Out Here. Essentially a humorous fictionalised memoir of the author's experiences in the Gordon Highlanders in North Africa and Scotland soon after World War II. Some of the stories were originally by-lined "Dand MacNeill", a play on the regimental motto BYDAND, meaning standfast:
  • The General Danced at Dawn (1970)
  • McAuslan in the Rough (1974)
  • The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1988)

• The Steel Bonnets (1971), a history of the Border Reivers of the Anglo-Scottish Border.

• The Hollywood History of the World: From One Million Years B.C. to Apocalypse Now. (1988, revised 1996) The book discusses how Hollywood deals with history. It concludes that the standard of historical analysis in most movies is far better than one might imagine. The text is illustrated by comparative images of figures from history and the actors who portrayed them in film. In many cases the similarities are striking.

• The Pyrates (1983), a tongue-in-cheek novel incorporating all the possible buccaneer film plots into one.

• Black Ajax (1997), a novel about Tom Molineaux, a 19th century black prizefighter in England. (As in Mr American, this novel is also connected to the Flashman series - in this case Sir Harry Flashman's father plays a minor role.)

• Mr American (1980), a novel about a mysterious American in England, the book comes to life in the hero's dealings with the aged General Harry Flashman.

• The Candlemass Road (1993), a short novel about the Border Reivers of the 16th century.

• The Light's on at Signpost (2002), a memoir of the author's days writing in Hollywood, interspersed with bitter rants against political correctness and new Labour Party.

Fraser wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for: Combatants United Kingdom British India Republic of China United States Empire of Japan Indian National Army Burma National Army Thailand Commanders Louis Mountbatten William Slim Chiang Kai-Shek Joseph Stilwell Aung San(From 1944) Masakazu Kawabe Hyotaro Kimura Renya Mutaguchi Subhash Chandra Bose Aung San(until 1944) Strength Unknown Unknown... The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided by the formidable barrier of the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic and Scots1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... A dustbin is a container used to store refuse which can be made out of metal or plastic¹. Other names include trash can, garbage can and trash bin. ... See also Border Reivers (Rugby) and Border Reivers (game); or Reavers for other varieties of brigand. ... The Pyrates is a comedic novel by George MacDonald Fraser, published in 1983. ... This article refers to the type of pirate. ... Tom Molineaux (b. ... Mr American is a 1970 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ... See also Border Reivers (Rugby) and Border Reivers (game); or Reavers for other varieties of brigand. ... ...

• The Three Musketeers (1973)
• The Four Musketeers (1974)
• Royal Flash (1975, adapted from his novel)
• Crossed Swords (US) or The Prince and the Pauper (UK) (1977)
• Force 10 From Navarone (uncredited) (1978)
• Octopussy (1983)
• Red Sonja (1985)
• The Return of the Musketeers (1989)