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

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-born soldier in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

during the First World War and 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 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 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 equi ...

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

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

Early life

Lyall was born on 8 March 1892 in the village of Chorlton, near

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. 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

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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, Ontario, N ...

. He went to

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

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 Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

First World War

Lyall joined the

Canadian Militia The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...

in October 1914, and was posted to the 19th Lincoln Regiment. 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

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. Arriving on the Western Front in France in 1916, he participated in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

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 of ...

. Having received further promotions, Lyall was selected for

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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 In military terms, 4th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *4th (Quetta) Division, British Indian Army * 4th Alpine Division Cuneense, Italy * 4th Blackshirt Division (3 January), Italy *4th Canadian Division *4th Division (Australia) * 4th ...

, 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 porti ...

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 comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. 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. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

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 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 in Egypt. The following year he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh (), also transliterated as Marsa Matruh ( Standard Arabic ''Marsā Maṭrūḥ'', ), 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 from the Nile ...

, 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, also known as the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum, is a military museum of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) – the corps of the British Army responsible for the maintenance, servici ...

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, 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 St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

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 Army colonels Canadian Militia officers Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Canadian Expeditionary Force officers 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