Graham Thomson Lyall VC

b. 08/03/1892 Chorlton, Manchester. d. 28/11/1941 Mersa Matruh, Egypt.

Graham Thomson Lyall (1892-1941) was born on 8th March 1892 in Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire. His father, the Reverend Robert Henry Lyall was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated with an MA from Glasgow University in 1884. He was ordained in the Church of Scotland and was living at Brighton Grove, Rusholme, Manchester in 1888. He married Agnes Lisette Wells, from Blackburn, Lancashire, on 24th December 1889 at the United Presbyterian Church in Bearsden, near Glasgow. He was Curate of St John’s, Farnworth, Lancashire, then Second Vicar at St Mary’s, Nelson, Lancashire in 1900, then Vicar of St John’s, Darwen in 1913. Agnes died in 1916, and Robert remarried to Jessie Macdonald on 30th August 1922 in Darwen. Graham had two siblings from his father’s two marriages – Dorothy and Donald.

Graham was educated at Church of England Primary School, Farnworth, Nelson Municipal Secondary School 1900-07, Municipal College of Portsmouth 1907-11. Graham enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy artificer at Portsmouth on 7th January 1908 and studied mechanical engineering at the shore based HMS Fisgard. On 9th June 1908 he was punished for theft. On 8th March 1910 he signed on for 12 years, and was posted to HMS Indus on 16th July 1910 but was in trouble again for inadequate progress in workmanship and conduct. He was discharged due to unsatisfactory conduct and ability on 19th April 1912.

He emigrated to Canada travelling aboard RMS Teutonic, arriving in Quebec on 9th June 1912. He lived in Welland, Ontario where he worked for Canadian Steel Foundries. Later he was a mechanical engineer with the Canadian Niagara Power Company, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Graham T Lyall VC

Three days after the declaration of the First World War, Lyall joined the 19th “Lincoln” Regiment in St Catharines, Ontario. He was placed on Active Duty and posted to the Welland Canal Field Force which provided guards along the canal, at hydro electric facilities in the Niagara Peninsula, and at the international bridges to the United States.

Lyall served in the 19th Regiment until September 1915 when he was accepted by the 81st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, which recruited heavily in the Niagara area. He sailed for England with the battalion on 26th April 1916, arriving at Liverpool on 6th May.

The 81st Battalion was broken up in England and its men sent as reinforcements to battalions already in France. The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles had suffered heavy casualties at Sanctuary Wood, Belgium, on 2nd June 1916, and the next day only 76 out of 702 men answered the roll call. By the end of the month 350 men, Lyall amongst them, joined 4 CMR as reinforcements.

Lyall served with distinction during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916 and during the Battle of Arras, 1917. His leadership potential was recognised and he was sent to Officers’ Training School at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. On the completion of his Officer training, Lieutenant Lyall was posted to the 102nd Battalion, C.E.F., which was part of the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade and took part in the Ypres Campaign in 1917 and the Battle of Amiens, 1918.

In September of 1918, the Canadian Corps was tasked to breach the Hindenburg Line on the Canal du Nord in a drive to capture Cambrai. The 102nd would pass through units of the 10th Brigade after they had secured the crossing of the canal and capture the southern flank of Bourlon Wood. It was during this operation that Lyall was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 27th September 1918 north of Cambrai, France, Lieutenant Lyall led his platoon in the capture of a strong-point, together with 13 prisoners, one field-gun and four machine-guns. Later, leading his men against another strong-point he rushed forward alone and captured the position single-handed, taking 45 prisoners and five machine-guns. The completion of his final objective resulted in the capture of 41 prisoners. On 1st October in the neighbourhood of Blecourt, he captured a strongly defended position which yielded 60 prisoners and 17 machine-guns. During both these operations, on attaining his objectives, Lieutenant Lyall tended the wounded under fire.

King George V presented Lyall with his Victoria Cross on 15th March 1919 at Buckingham Palace. He returned to Darwen, Lancashire where he was presented with a French bronze clock and other ornaments by the citizens. He married Elizabeth “Elsie” Moffat Frew on 24th April 1919 at the High United Free Church, Airdrie, Scotland. The service was conducted by Elsie’s uncle and Graham’s father. There were no children in the marriage.

Graham became manager of his father-in-law’s Drumbathie Brickworks (Alexander Frew & Co) until his death in 1927, when the company went into liquidation. In 1933 Graham was appointed Managing Director of Aerocrete (Scotland) Ltd, Airdrie. He was a member of the British Institute of Engineers. He joined the 1st Lowland Field Company, 52nd Lowland Division Engineers on 16th July 1920 and transferred to the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers on 8th March 1932.

Graham attended two VC reunions – the VC Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in June 1920 and the VC Dinner at the House of Lords, London in November 1929. He was present during the visit to Airdrie by King George V and Queen Mary on 5th May 1935 during their Silver Jubilee visit to Scotland. He also attended the dedication of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France by King Edward VIII on 26th August 1936, as part of the Guard of Honour of the Royal Canadian Regiment contingent led by Milton Fowler Gregg VC.

Graham was a Freemason and a member of the Lodge of Harmony and Industry No 381, Darwen, Lancashire. He was also a keen sportsman, taking part in many sports including swimming, tennis, cricket, hockey, shooting, canoeing, rowing and golf. On 26th April 1939, he was appointed Ordnance Mechanical Engineer 2nd Class as a major to command 3rd Anti-Aircraft Division Workshop Company RAOC TA in Edinburgh. While the unit was on summer camp at Leuchars Road, St Andrews, Fife, he was appointed camp commandant.

Graham was appointed temporary lieutenant colonel on 10th May and was posted to the Army Ordnance Depot, Hilsea, near Portsmouth. He was granted 14 days embarkation leave in July and sailed for the Middle East on 5th August, arriving at Suez, Egypt on 24th September, the convoy having taken the long route around the Cape of Good Hope. Graham was based at Mersah Matruh, Egypt and was admitted to 15th Scottish General Hospital in Cairo on 25th February 1941. On 21st November 1941, a locomotive struck a lorry causing the death of three men and injuring 18. Graham took Major Leonard Stott, unit medical officer, to the scene. On the return trip, the car broke down, the temperature dropped, and they had to walk twenty miles in the dark to get back. Graham was utterly exhausted by the effort and the next day his tent caught fire and this added to his stress. He had been diagnosed with angina in 1933.

Tragically, on 27th November, he seemed in good health when dining with Captain Coventry, the Camp Commandant. He gave instructions to be called the next morning but suffered a heart attack in his sleep overnight. He was buried in Piccadilly Circus Cemetery, Sidi Barrani, Egypt but his body was exhumed on 14th April 1944 and buried in Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. He is commemorated with Colonel Lyall Street in St Catherines, Ontario, with a plaque on St Catherines City Hall, on the VC obelisk in Barrie, Ontario, on plaque No 80 at York Cemetery, Toronto, on the Roll of Honour at Walton High School, Nelson, with a VC commemorative stone at Manchester Cenotaph unveiled on 14th October 2016. He is also named on the memorial arch in Hamilton, Scotland to the 15 Lanarkshire VCs, is named on the family headstone in New Monkland Cemetery, on the lectern at High Church, Airdrie and on the Airdrie War Memorial. He is also on the Memorial Bench to the VCs of the Orange Order at Ulster Tower, Thiepval, The Somme, and on a memorial outside Bourlon Church.

His medals including the VC, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, War Medal 1939-45, King George V Coronation Medal 1911 and King George VI Coronation Medal 1937 are owned by the family. His nephew Sandy Ferguson presented the medals to the REME Museum at Arborfield Garrison, Reading, Berkshire on a long term loan in December 2002. The loan was extended in 2011.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: REME MUSEUM OF TECHNOLOGY, ARBORFIELD, BERKSHIRE. (LOAN)

BURIAL PLACE: HALLFAYA SOLLUM WAR CEMETERY, EGYPT.

PLOT XIX, ROW B, GRAVE 2