Hamish Fraser (16 August 1913 – 17 October 1986)'Edinburgh University Students in Spain', ''Archives @ University of Edinburgh''. http://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/edinburghuniversityarchives/2016/12/, December 2016. Accessed 31 December 2018. was a Scottish communist who fought with the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

and was a participant in the

Red Terror The Red Terror () was a campaign of political repression and Mass killing, executions in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. He gradually became disillusioned with

Stalinism Stalinism (, ) is the Totalitarianism, totalitarian means of governing and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953), 1927 to 1953 by dictator Jose ...

and resigned from the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

in 1945. Fraser was received into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 1948, and became a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

anti-communist journalist and activist, founding and editing the

traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...

periodical ''Approaches''.

Early life and communist activities

Fraser was born into a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

family in

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

. He moved to

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

with his family as a child. In 1931, he entered the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

to study Technical Chemistry. He also became a member of the Young Communist League.

Spanish Civil War

He joined the

on the outbreak of the

in 1936, and is the only British International Brigader in the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la República'' ...

known to have been recruited as an officer of the Servicio de Información Militar. Following the defeat of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

, Fraser returned to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and became a full member of the

(CPGB), rising to the status of group leader at the

John Brown & Company John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish Naval architecture, marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and ''Queen Elizabeth 2 (ship), Queen Elizabeth 2''. At its heig ...

Engine and Boiler Works in

Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...

. He authored a successful pamphlet defending the Party's position on the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, ''The Intelligent Socialist's Guide to World War II'', and was subsequently appointed Scottish Propaganda Secretary of the CPGB. He became increasingly unhappy with the party in the mid-1940s, leaving in 1945.Tom Gallagher (1987),''Glasgow, the Uneasy Peace: Religious Tension in Modern Scotland, 1819-1914'', p. 230

Conversion to Catholicism

Following his resignation, Fraser enrolled in Jordanhill College of Education, becoming a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

teacher in

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

after his graduation. During his time at Jordanhill, he received religious instruction from a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest and was received into the

Catholic Church in Scotland The Catholic Church in Scotland, overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. Christianity first arrived in Roman Britain and was strengthened by the conversion of the Picts thr ...

in 1948. He became an outspoken

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

and campaigned against the Communist MP Willie Gallacher in the West Fife constituency at the 1950 UK general election. Gallacher later attributed the loss of his seat to the efforts of Fraser and other anti-communist Catholics like him. Fraser also helped to introduce the

Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima, now mostly known as the World Apostolate of Fátima, is a public international association that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church and the strict adhe ...

, an international lay Catholic and anti-communist organisation, to

. In a break from his past service in the International Brigades, Fraser expressed support for the reintegration of

Spain under Franco Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

into the international community following the

. During a speech in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in the early 1950s, Fraser also praised what he called, "the heroic stand of General Franco against Soviet barbarism". He argued that the

by the Servicio de Información Militar during the

presaged the similar use of political terror throughout the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

during the early

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. In 1954, Fraser published the memoir ''Fatal Star'', an account of his journey from

to Catholicism. In 1956, he organized protests against a visit to Great Britain by Soviet Premier

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

and

Nikolai Bulganin Nikolai Alexandrovich Bulganin (; – 24 February 1975) was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1955 to 1958. He also served as Minister of Defense (Soviet Union), Minister of Defense, following service in the Red Army during World War II. ...

Later life

Fraser was critical of the liberalising reforms of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

(1962-1965) and of the contemporaneous emergence of liberation theology in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

.Obituary, ''The Times'', 29 October 1986. In 1965, he left his teaching position to devote himself full-time to his periodical ''Approaches''. The publication reflected Fraser's

views and his uneasiness about the changes within the

in the 1960s.

Death and legacy

In the 1970s, Fraser served as a Scottish Conservative

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

in the town of

Saltcoats Saltcoats (; Scots: ''Saulcuts'') is a town on the west coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages ...

. He died on 17 October 1986 and was survived by his wife, Kathleen Fraser, and his seven children. His son Anthony Fraser edited the Catholic magazine ''Apropos'', a successor of ''Approaches'', until his death in 2014.'Anthony Fraser RIP', ''Catholicism.org''. https://catholicism.org/anthony-fraser-rip.html, 28 August 2014. Accessed 31 December 2018.

Works

* ''The Intelligent Socialist's Guide to World War II'' (1943) * ''The Truth about Spain'' (1949) * ''Spain and the West'' (1952) * ''Fatal Star'' (1954) * ''Civil rights, yes! : civil war, no!'' (1971) * ''Ireland 1971 : is civil war inevitable?'' (1971) * ''Saltcoats: anatomy of a socialist 'rotten borough (1971) * ''The Scandal of Maynooth: A Dossier on Episcopal Policy in Contemporary Ireland'' (1973) * ''Freemasonry and the Church: are they compatible?'' (1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Hamish 1913 births 1986 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British spies for the Soviet Union Communist Party of Great Britain members Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism International Brigades personnel Interwar-period spies People from Inverness People from Berwickshire Scottish spies Scottish anti-communists Scottish communists Scottish journalists Scottish Presbyterians Scottish Roman Catholics Scottish traditionalist Catholics Scottish Roman Catholic writers Soviet spies against Western Europe Traditionalist Catholic writers Former Marxists