Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Reginald Noble Graham, 3rd Baronet (17 September 1892 – 6 December 1980), was a British businessman,

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officer and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

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

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. He received the award "for most conspicuous bravery, coolness and resource when in command of a Machine Gun Section" during the Samarra offensive in 1917, during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early life

Graham was born at

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, India, on 17 September 1892, the eldest son of Sir Frederick Graham, 2nd Baronet. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

First World War

Soon after the

broke out, Graham joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and was posted to 9th Battalion,

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until ...

. In 1916 he was seconded to 136 Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...

, which was sent to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

. During the Samarra offensive, Lieutenant Graham was in command of a machine gun section co-operating with the

56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Battal ...

near Istabulat on the evening of 22 April 1917. He was awarded the

for his subsequent actions that night: After recovering from his severe wounds Captain Graham, as he had become, was ordered back to Mesopotamia where he continued to serve until January 1918, when his company was transferred to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

where he was given command of the unit with the rank of major. After the war, Graham returned to Scotland to a hero's welcome at his home village of

Cardross Cardross () is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical county of Dunbartonshire but th ...

Business ventures and later life

Graham later worked in India in branches of the family firm, William Graham and Company, founded by his great-great-grandfather in Glasgow. In 1920 Graham married Rachel Sprot, daughter of Sir Alexander Sprot, 1st Baronet. They had one son (who inherited the baronetcy as

Sir John Graham, 4th Baronet Sir John Alexander Noble Graham, 4th Baronet, (15 July 1926 – 11 December 2019) was a British diplomat who was ambassador to Iraq, Iran and NATO. Career Graham, born in Calcutta, British India, the only son of Sir Reginald Graham, 3rd Barone ...

) and one daughter, Lesley, who married Jock Wykeham Strang Steel. Graham succeeded to the

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

cy on the death of his father in 1936. During 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 ...

, he was given a temporary rank of lieutenant colonel and served in

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a Command (military formation), command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of Anglo-French War (1793–180 ...

. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginn ...

, and awarded

King Haakon VII's Cross of Liberty King Haakon VII's Freedom Cross () was established in Norway on 18 May 1945. The medal is awarded to Norwegian or foreign military or civilian personnel for outstanding achievement in wartime. It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence in the ...

in 1949. From 1959 to 1979 Graham was Usher of the Green Rod to the

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...

, and participated in many state occasions including the unveiling of a memorial to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...

in 1962. He died aged 88 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He was cremated at

Mortonhall Crematorium The Mortonhall Crematorium is a multi-denominational crematorium in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is an example of Basil Spence's post-war Expressionist architecture, expressionist style. Opened in 1967, the crematorium is set in mature woodland and i ...

. Lady Graham died in 1984.

Memorials

Graham's medals are held by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum in

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

on loan from the family. Reginald Graham's Commemorative Memorial Stone was unveiled at the Cardross War Memorial on 22 April 2017, the 100th anniversary of his gallant action. There is a second Commemorative Memorial Stone to him in the National Memorial Arboretum along with Memorial Stones for all the other VCs who were born abroad.

Honours

UK King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon

UK King George VI Coronation Medal ribbon

UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
(Edinburgh)
Private Papers of Lieutenant Colonel Sir Reginald Graham Bt VC OBE
– Imperial War Museum *Graham, Sir (John) Reginald Noble
''Burke's peerage, baronetage & knightage, clan chiefs, Scottish feudal barons''
107th edition, volume 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage & Gentry (UK) Limited, 2003
GRAHAM, Sir (John) Reginald (Noble)
Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007, retrieved 21 August 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Reginald 1892 births 1980 deaths Nobility from Argyll and Bute Military personnel from Kolkata People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Graham, Reginald, 3rd Baronet Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Army personnel of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Machine Gun Corps officers Recipients of the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel of British India