Frederick McCracken

Frederick McCracken
Sir Frederick McCracken, 6 July 1915
Born	(1859-08-18)18 August 1859 Kent, England
Died	8 August 1949(1949-08-08) (aged 89)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1879–1922
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Unit	Royal Berkshire Regiment
Commands held	7th Infantry Brigade 15th (Scottish) Division XIII Corps Scottish Command
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick William Nicholas McCracken, KCB, DSO, (18 August 1859 – 8 August 1949) was a British Army officer who saw regimental service in Africa during the late nineteenth century, and later held senior command during the First World War. He commanded an infantry brigade in the British Expeditionary Force of 1914, was appointed to command 15th (Scottish) Division in the New Armies from 1915 to 1917, and then briefly commanded XIII Corps on the Western Front before being posted to a home command in the United Kingdom.

Born in 1859, the youngest son of R. de Crez McCracken of Kent, he studied at Sandhurst and then took a commission as a second lieutenant in the 49th Regiment of Foot in 1879. He was promoted to lieutenant the following year, and served in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882 with his regiment, which had since become the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment. After Egypt he was appointed the battalion adjutant, and promoted to Captain in 1884. He saw service during the Mahdist War in 1885, at Tofrek, where he was mentioned in despatches and given a brevet promotion to Major. Serving on the Egyptian frontier later in the year, he saw action at the Battle of Ginnis.

He married Ann Liston Glover in 1887; the couple would have a son and two daughters before Ann's death in 1923.

In April 1892 he was seconded to the staff and appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General in Barbados. He received a full promotion to Major in 1897, and when his term on the staff expired in April that year he returned to his regiment.