Graham Thomson Lyall VC (8 March 1892 – 28 November 1941) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born soldier in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

during the First World War and recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

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and

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forces. He received the award for his actions on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in the final months of the war, while serving as an infantry officer. After the war, Lyall remained in the United Kingdom and returned to civilian life. Throughout the inter-war years, he served in the Territorial Army, in the

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...

, and during the Second World War, he served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He died of a heart attack at the age of 49, while on active service in Egypt.

Early life

Graham Thomson Lyall was born on 8 March 1892 in the village of

Chorlton Chorlton may refer to: Places * Chorlton, Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton, Cheshire West and Chester, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in Manchester, England **Chorlton (ward), an electoral ward of Manchester, England **Chorl ...

, near Manchester. His father, R. H. Lyall, was a reverend and in 1894, moved his family to Farnworth when he became vicar at St. John's Church. The family moved again in 1900, to

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

in Lancashire, where Lyall attended Nelson Municipal Secondary School. He then went on to study mechanical engineering at a naval college. In 1912, after completing his college studies, Lyall emigrated to Canada and settled in

Welland, Ontario Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

. He went to

Toronto University The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

to further his education and then became a mechanical engineer. A member of the British Institute of Engineers, he worked firstly for a steel foundry and then the Canadian Niagara Power Company, based at

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

First World War

Lyall joined the Canadian Militia in October 1914, and was posted to the

19th Lincoln Regiment The Lincoln Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1936, the regiment was Amalgamated with The Lincoln and Welland Regiment to form a new regiment also named The L ...

. He served as a guard on the canal at Niagara for several months before enlisting in the

. After being shipped to England, he was posted to the 81st Battalion in October 1915 and was quickly made an acting

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

. Arriving on the

in France in 1916, he participated in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

and then the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...

. Having received further promotions, Lyall was selected for

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

training and sent to the Canadian Officer's Training School in Sussex. After being commissioned in April 1917, Lyall was posted to the 102nd Battalion. As part of the Canadian 4th Division, Lyall's battalion was involved in the

Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of ...

on 27 September 1918. Advancing against German forces in Boulon Wood, his platoon was held up by a series of strong points but due to his leadership, these were all overcome. For his actions, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The citation for his VC read: Lyall was presented with the VC by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

in March 1919.

Later life

Rather than return to Canada after being discharged from the CEF, Lyall remained in the United Kingdom. In April 1919, he married Elizabeth Moffat and the couple settled in Airdrie in Scotland. He became a manager at a brickworks before taking up a directorship of a construction firm in Airdrie. He retained an interest in the military and served in the Territorial Army. By 1939 he was a major with the

(RAOC) and commanding the workshop company of 3 Anti-Aircraft Division. After the outbreak of the Second World War, Lyall was mobilised and his company based at Stirling, with the division responsible for the defence of central Scotland. Promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in May 1940, he volunteered to serve overseas. He was posted to the Middle East where he posted to the RAOC's No. 2 Base Ordnance Workshop at

Tel El Kebir Tell El Kebir ( ar, التل الكبير lit."the great mound") is 110 km north-north-east of Cairo and 75 kilometres south of Port Said on the edge of the Egyptian desert at the altitude of 29 m. Administratively, it is a part of the Isma ...

in Egypt. The following year he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and took command of the 87th Lines of Communication. His area of responsibility was west of

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...

, supporting the frontline troops. He died of a heart attack on 28 November 1941 and is buried at the

Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery is a burial ground for military personnel who died in Egypt and Libya during the Second World War. It is located in Egypt, near the border with Libya. It is administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Ther ...

in Egypt.

Medal and legacy

In 2003, Lyall's Victoria Cross, together with his campaign medals from the First and Second World Wars was loaned to the

REME Museum of Technology The REME Museum is within the MoD Lyneham site, in Wiltshire, England, about southwest of Swindon. The museum holds collections of technological and historical artifacts associated with the work of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (' ...

Arborfield Arborfield is a village on the A327 road in Berkshire about south-east of Reading, about west of Wokingham. It lies in the civil parish of Arborfield and Newland in the Borough of Wokingham, about west of its sister village of Arborfield C ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, on the wishes of his widow. The VC was subsequently returned to the family and a replica is displayed at the museum. A plaque in his memory is located in the city of St. Catharines in Niagara. There is also a memorial plaque to Lyall in Manchester, the city of his birth.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Graham Thomson Lyall's digitized service file

Biography of Graham Thomson Lyall
on DND's Directorate of History and Heritage

"Egypt"

"Graham Lyall's Victoria Cross donated to the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Museum"

Legion Magazine article on Graham Lyall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyall, Graham Thomson 1892 births 1941 deaths British colonels Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military personnel of World War I People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers British Army personnel killed in World War II Burials at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery Military personnel from Manchester