Malcolm Cowan Fraser was born in Glasgow to Thomas and Helen Fraser. His father was a commercial traveller, but died within a few years of Malcolm's birth.

His mother, Helen (nee Cowan), was born on Tyneside, and appears to have taken Malcolm to South Africa in 1901. They were back in South Shields a few years later, where Malcolm's primary education was in the preparatory department of Miss Stewart's girls' school.

He then entered the High School at the age of 9, and stayed until just after his 16th birthday when he left to be an apprentice at Northern Press & Engineering Company in South Shields. However, the school records show that he then went on to work at London City & Midland Bank.

He signed up with the Argyll and Southern Highlanders, initiall as a Private, but was promoted to temporary 2nd Lieutenant in 1917.

Not much is known of him beyond this, except that he joined the Royal Flying Corps at some point.

Malcolm was married in South Shields to Adeline Thurlbeck in 1921. She died in 1939, and Malcolm remarried in 1941 to Jennie Wilson.

He died in Darlington in 1961.