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Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham World Naval Ships Forums Archive

Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham

Posts 1 to 36

"Big Wilf" was the skipper when I was serving in Ark Royal in the late 70's would anyone know if he is still alive please ?. He must be a good age by now, I know he went on to be the president of the RNLI on leaving the RN. I think he also served in destroyers in WW11 Thanks

[QUOTE=seaking;98797]"Big Wilf" was the skipper when I was serving in Ark Royal in the late 70's would anyone know if he is still alive please ?. He must be a good age by now, I know he went on to be the president of the RNLI on leaving the RN. I think he also served in destroyers in WW11 Thanks[/QUOTE] I cannot find him in the TIMES obituaries also he is not listed in the Naval Review obituaries. No indication that I can find that he has crossed the bar, so he may well still be with us.

Many thanks, this is good to know. Hopefully I can find him somewhere to thank him for being such a great Skipper !!

[QUOTE=seaking;99178]Many thanks, this is good to know. Hopefully I can find him somewhere to thank him for being such a great Skipper !![/QUOTE] If you seriously wanted to contact him you could always send him a note "Care of The Naval secretary" and they would forward it on to him. I am sure he would always be happy to hear from old shipmates - he was that sort of person.

[QUOTE=INVINCIBLE;99406]If you seriously wanted to contact him you could always send him a note "Care of The Naval secretary" and they would forward it on to him. I am sure he would always be happy to hear from old shipmates - he was that sort of person.[/QUOTE] Many thanks, is there an email address for Care of The Naval secretary ? please thanks

[QUOTE=seaking;98797]"Big Wilf" was the skipper when I was serving in Ark Royal in the late 70's would anyone know if he is still alive please ?. He must be a good age by now, I know he went on to be the president of the RNLI on leaving the RN. I think he also served in destroyers in WW11 Thanks[/QUOTE] Pleased to let you know that "Big Wilf" is alive and well now 85, and will be a special guest at the Ark Royal Communicators 73-78 reunion in September being held in London. Also guesting will be Little Wilf and his master John Pooley and FMAA Tom Wilkinson and the director of the SAILOR tv series John Purdie.

As a three badge killick stoker on Ark I remember after one particular heavy dinner time sesh with one of my younger watchkeeping buddies returning on board rather inebriated only to be spied by Big Tom who immediately instructed the duty RPO to escort us to the reg office.Once there I was ushered alone into Uncle Tom's cabin where we had a good old adult to adult talk and he told me how I was such a stalwart and a fine example to the younger generation of up and coming stokers.Of I went walking on air feeling six feet tall,not easy as I'm only five feet two.,promising never to drink again and set a good standard for all young stokers. After sobering up I met my lunch time companion who informed me that the Jaunty had told him to stay well clear of silly old Three Badgers /////////:o:o:o:o:o regards rab.m.

After reading a post by our forum member, Steve Roberts (the Folk Songs of the Sea thread) where he mentioned the song "I am Sailing" (and the TV series "Sailor") I got to looking up information on the Ark Royal and came across this on youtube: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk1TMKTv4x4&feature=related[/url] .... it's rather sad*, but as her (heart broken, when he saw her being chopped up as scrap metal) ex Fleet Master at Arms, Tom Wilkinson mentions.....you've still got the memories and they will live on. It's good to see that the Ark Royal's Skipper (Big Wilf) and his mates are still going strong and that he and Tom Wilkinson got to continue with their passion of maritime work. I hope they have a great time at their September reunion..with all their friends and , of course....Little Wilf. :) *It also made me think that maybe "having the plug pulled" and being sent to the bottom of the sea to become an artificial reef....possibly isn't such a bad fate for a ship after all - considering the alternatives :( (That was the fate of DDG 38 Perth when she was sunk of Albany, Western Australia.) Although, in trying to look for [I]some [/I]upside... at least with the Ark Royal....there are probably bits of her all over the world by now....so her essence lives on...globally. Regards, Bee

[QUOTE=rab.m.;127656]As a three badge killick stoker on Ark I remember after one particular heavy dinner time sesh with one of my younger watchkeeping buddies returning on board rather inebriated only to be spied by Big Tom who immediately instructed the duty RPO to escort us to the reg office.Once there I was ushered alone into Uncle Tom's cabin where we had a good old adult to adult talk and he told me how I was such a stalwart and a fine example to the younger generation of up and coming stokers.Of I went walking on air feeling six feet tall,not easy as I'm only five feet two.,promising never to drink again and set a good standard for all young stokers. After sobering up I met my lunch time companion who informed me that the Jaunty had told him to stay well clear of silly old Three Badgers /////////:o:o:o:o:o regards rab.m.[/QUOTE] Hi rab.m. Did you still stay away from drink and set a good standard for all young stokers, then?? :D Cheers, Bee

Pleased to let you know the reunion this weekend was a roaring success with our honoured guests in attendance, Captain Wilfred Graham, FMAA Tom Wilkinson and John Pooley and his mate Little Wilf. The skipper arrived around 1830 Friday and was met off the train by 3 of our members. He really was excited by the whole occasion and the reception he got when he arrived in the main bar around 1900 was both spontaneous and a little emotional as everyone stood and applauded the great man in. He stayed chatting for a couple of hours and left the others to see the night out. Saturday FMAA Tom along with his wife Sheila arrived as did John Pooley carrying a suspicious package. Expectation was at fever pitch for the organisers but the q and a session went well with amusing and heartfelt stories from all the guests. Little Wilf was released from the bag and gave a 15 minute show where all us winkers had a right laugh. Tom, Sheila and John were left to help themselves in the restaurant. It was expected the skipper would join them but he was having none of it. He wanted to be out with the boys and so we all proceeded to the London Eye and the 4D cinema, We then took the river boat trip to HMS Belfast for a visit before it was time to get the skipper back in time for his train. At this point some went back to the UJC and the remainder took the visit around the Foreign Office where one of our members gave us an extremely well presented guide and access to many a no go area where mobiles and cameras were probably not meant to be taken. After all that it was time to muster in the main bar of the UJC to swing the lamp long into the night.
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Thanks for the update and photo, Sparker. It's great to hear that it all went off so well, especially for your Skipper. Must have been quite a night. (I bet there were a few sore heads the next morning.) :) Regards, Bee :)

What a great picture, many thanks for posting. I wish I could have been there to shake both the skipper's and Tom's hand. When I was doing my stint as Chief's messman on the 'Ark, Tom would always buy me a pint when I was on bar duty in the evening, what a great guy The skipper was always "visible" when the flight deck was open for walkabout, he would stroll around in his shorts but always had his beret on, funny the small things that come back to you just by seeing a photograph.

[QUOTE=thesparker;124756]Pleased to let you know that "Big Wilf" is alive and well now 85, and will be a special guest at the Ark Royal Communicators 73-78 reunion in September being held in London. Also guesting will be Little Wilf and his master John Pooley and FMAA Tom Wilkinson and the director of the SAILOR tv series John Purdie.[/QUOTE] If anyone as any info on Tom Wilkinson could they please please contact me I am trying to trace him as he is a blood relative I have never met and am really hoping he would like to have some kind of cotact

His address is in Who's Who. I don't think I should post it here but if you have a local public library card you can use the number to log in to the online version here: [url]http://www.ukwhoswho.com/[/url] Otherwise pop round to your library tomorrow and they should be able to help with an online lookup or hard copy.

Hello all - I am WO1 Dave Garraghty and currently serving onboard HMS Daring as the Executive Warrant Officer. Having seen 'Sailor' on DVD and saw how much he boosted morale I aquired a 'Wilf' puppet from Ebay and one of the PO tiffs onboard has made him various rigs including anti flash to keep the FOSTIES happy! I went to Navy News to look thorugh archives and found a picture of 'wilf' in 1984 with Capt Tony Wigley and LT CDR Peter Cooper who it says introduced wilf to the ARK. If anyone has any dits from the original mini Wilf it would be greatfully received.

Hello all. My first post. I was interested to read this thread. I worked as his valet when he was a Real Admiral. He was appointed as Flag Officer Portsmouth at Spithead House in the Dockyard at Portsmouth. This was during the Queens Jubilee in 1977 and beyond. A busy time for all.What a good gent he is. Glad to hear he is still of good spirit.

I am heartened when I learn that the lads and the officers from past commissions get together, both realising that then was then, and now is now. I resigned from the SUPERB Association when I learned that they would not permit officers to join. If you had ended up in the 'oggin and the ship gone, it didn't matter how many hooks or stripes he had, he was a shipmate and you hauled onboard.

In one of the previous threads the question was asked of Admiral Graham, is he still alive?!! I can confirm that he is, and lives near Maiden Bradley in Wiltshire. He is in his late 80's.

Sad to report that "Uncle Tom" FMAA Tom Wilkinson ex HMS Ark Royal and one of the main characters in BBC TV documentary "SAILOR" passed away at the beginning of April. RIP TOM. A true gentleman and Navy through and through.

[QUOTE=thesparker;10135127]Sad to report that "Uncle Tom" FMAA Tom Wilkinson ex HMS Ark Royal and one of the main characters in BBC TV documentary "SAILOR" passed away at the beginning of April. RIP TOM. A true gentleman and Navy through and through.[/QUOTE] R.I.P. Tom and thank you for the time and help you gave me during a particularly bad period of my service.I'll never forget.God Bless. Rab.m.

[QUOTE=seaking;98797]"Big Wilf" was the skipper when I was serving in Ark Royal in the late 70's would anyone know if he is still alive please ?. He must be a good age by now, I know he went on to be the president of the RNLI on leaving the RN. I think he also served in destroyers in WW11 Thanks[/QUOTE] Big Wilf is still doing well , I was with him last week at the Funeral Of Uncle Tom. at 92 Big wilf still going strong.

I consider myself lucky to have served with Wilf Graham. I first served with him on the Scarborough in the early seventies. You never knew where on the ship you would find him, he took stand easies in the boiler and engine rooms with the clankies. He knew us all and recognised me when I joined the Ark six years later. A real gentleman.

I always seemed to find him... he was with Uncle Tom, and my DO on 3 Victor dishing out punishment! I always took my hat off to him and received his award. I take my hat off to him now, and thank the best skipper I ever served with.:)

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the kind words written about Wilfred. For all those with questions I now write. I am his grandson and I can confirm my grandpa is very much alive and is still in good health at 91 years of age. He has very found memories of his time in the big ol' boats and the evidence remains all over his house... The bathroom downstairs has a wonderful image of the HMS Tartar he served in. My email address is [email]lewieg@gmail.com[/email] if there are further inquiries. I am 17 and a very proud grandson.

[quote=Lewis Graham;10156418]I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the kind words written about Wilfred. For all those with questions I now write. I am his grandson and I can confirm my grandpa is very much alive and is still in good health at 91 years of age. He has very found memories of his time in the big ol' boats and the evidence remains all over his house... The bathroom downstairs has a wonderful image of the HMS Tartar he served in. My email address is [EMAIL="lewieg@gmail.com"]lewieg@gmail.com[/EMAIL] if there are further inquiries. I am 17 and a very proud grandson.[/quote] Many thanks for looking in Lewis. I am sure there are many who will be pleased to learn that he is still with us and in good health. Jim

It is with much sadness that I bring to you all the news that "Big Wilf" Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham RN crossed the bar on the 2nd February 2018. Condolences to his family and to all who served under him. rest easy Sir, fair winds and a calm sea

Many thanks for the post deps. I read of his passing a couple of days ago but cannot, as yet, find an official announcement or obituary for him. RIP Sir. Jim

[QUOTE=jbryce1437;10173942]Many thanks for the post deps. I read of his passing a couple of days ago but cannot, as yet, find an official announcement or obituary for him. RIP Sir. Jim[/QUOTE] TBH Jim, I initially read it on both Ark related facebook pages, if I were to guess I'd say it would be Telegraph. I'll inquire of "both admins" as to source. If it's not to be a private family service I shall be taking time off work to attend and pay respects.

A bit more info on Big Wilf Captain DTS HMS Scarborough 1971, Captain HMS Tartar 1965/66 Tartar's 2nd Commission

[URL="http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/221504/graham"]announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/221504/graham[/URL] A truly great skipper who will be sadly missed by all those who served with him. RIP Sir.

Ark Royal Communicators Reunion London 2010 Rear Admiral "Big Wilf" Wilfred Graham centre of picture with FMAA Tom Wilkinson, Little Wilf and John Pooley
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Copied from the Ark Royal facebook page: Royal Navy carrier captains have to be prepared to turn their hands to anything, from overseeing a fast jet attack to schmoozing the most petulant VIP guests. They tour the multiple decks of their hulking warships each day to monitor morale and sniff out potential glitches. “Big Wilf” Graham’s 18-month command of the fourth HMS Ark Royal, which began in March 1975, had an added burden in that it was subjected to the scrutiny of television cameras for John Purdie’s popular series [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsdBsiXtXaA&has_verified=1"]Sailor[/URL], aired in 1976. A military version of the Rod Stewart hit [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOjpbWIrQPo"]Sailing[/URL] kicked off each episode’s candid account of the sometimes salty life of her 2,500-strong crew. Yet scenes of matelots lurching back on board after drunkenly roaring “get ’em off” at strippers (with little left to uncover) soon gave way to the painstaking training of the carrier’s Buccaneer and Phantom pilots, who had more than 2,000 catapult launches during the five-month deployment in the Mediterranean and US waters. Britain watched as the unflappable Graham, sporting a white tropical uniform and shades, sat in his captain’s chair on the bridge, flipping between reading a tender letter from his wife and fielding technical queries about nearby shipping. Quietly assured in his charismatic command of his men, he was also viewed as “a good sport” and was seen hauling a freshly landed second sea lord out of a rubber submersion suit as well as skipping around his cabin with two other officers rehearsing a camp rendition of Three Little Maids from School, with which he would entertain his sailors. It was the series that launched a thousand naval careers and made “Big Wilf”, as his crew called him, a household name. This nickname came as a surprise to his family, who had known him as “Wid” ever since his little sister, Margaret, had first called him that as a child. He was born at the family home in Kilmacolm, near Glasgow, in 1925, the son of Bryce, who worked in shipping, and Jean, a keen sailor and golfer. He attended Rossall School, near Fleetwood, Lancashire, and fell in love with the sea during childhood summers spent sailing on his grandfather’s yacht. After being bombed by the Luftwaffe, Britannia Royal Naval College was relocated from Dartmouth to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, and Graham entered as a cadet in 1943. He saw active service before peace was declared, serving as a midshipman in HMS Sheffield, HMS Teazer and the battleship HMS Howe, in which he witnessed the end of the war. Graham later fought off fierce competition from a close friend to win the hand of Gillian Finlayson and they married in December 1951 at Burley, Hampshire. They raised four children at the family home in Crondall, near Farnham, when not posted abroad. Graham qualified as a gunnery officer in 1951, and soon went on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy. As a commander in the early 1960s, he was part of the British Polaris project to establish the navy’s submarine nuclear deterrent and worked as liaison officer to the chief of British naval staff in Washington. While there, he and his family were invited to John F Kennedy’s inauguration. Graham, however, had a crucial meeting to attend that day, but his wife and son, Angus, went. Back in England, while competing at the Dartmouth Regatta, his children heard him swear for the first time while “asserting his right of way while on the starboard tack”. He is survived by them: Angus worked in the building industry before his retirement; Simon is a forestry manager; Victoria is a former nurse; and Charlie works in IT. On his retirement from the Navy in 1979 Graham became a director of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. After a couple of days in the job he felt obliged to mention, perhaps only half in jest, that anyone who whistled Sailing within his earshot would be sacked. When he heard of the Penlee lifeboat tragedy in 1981, he was sitting on a plane at Heathrow Airport with his wife, about to embark on a skiing holiday. The flight left without them. Graham knew all too well how mercilessly violent the seas could be and raced straight to Cornwall. Sixteen people died in hurricane winds and pounding 60ft waves off Mount’s Bay: eight volunteer crew of the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne and eight aboard the stricken mini-bulk carrier MV Union Star, which included a pregnant woman and her two children. Graham arrived at the coast as wreckage was beginning to wash up and oversaw the aftermath of the tragedy for the charity, initiating action in the midst of a deeply traumatised community with calm decisiveness and empathy. Vice-Admiral Paul Bossier, the RNLI chief executive, said: “What happened to the Penlee lifeboat was a dreadful, dreadful tragedy. The crew went out on that night with all the courage that you would expect of them. But they never came home. The loss of these brave men was very much in the public eye, and Wilfred Graham held the RNLI together at a difficult time.” In addition to managing the Penlee crisis Graham pushed for faster, safer lifeboats and diligently toured the country to meet and encourage crews. Graham and Gillian eventually retired to Maiden Bradley, Somerset, where she died in 2004. He retained his close family ties to Scotland throughout his life and would revert to his native Glaswegian dialect after a few whiskies, sounding “more like what you’d hear on Para Handy’s Vital Spark than the bridge of Her Majesty’s ships”. Rear-Admiral Wilfred (Wid) Graham CB, was born on June 17, 1925. He died on February 2, 2018, aged 92 RIP Sir
Attachments :

[QUOTE=jbryce1437;10175682]Copied from the Ark Royal facebook page: Royal Navy carrier captains have to be prepared to turn their hands to anything, from overseeing a fast jet attack to schmoozing the most petulant VIP guests. They tour the multiple decks of their hulking warships each day to monitor morale and sniff out potential glitches. “Big Wilf” Graham’s 18-month command of the fourth HMS Ark Royal, which began in March 1975, had an added burden in that it was subjected to the scrutiny of television cameras for John Purdie’s popular series [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsdBsiXtXaA&has_verified=1"]Sailor[/URL], aired in 1976. A military version of the Rod Stewart hit [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOjpbWIrQPo"]Sailing[/URL] kicked off each episode’s candid account of the sometimes salty life of her 2,500-strong crew. Yet scenes of matelots lurching back on board after drunkenly roaring “get ’em off” at strippers (with little left to uncover) soon gave way to the painstaking training of the carrier’s Buccaneer and Phantom pilots, who had more than 2,000 catapult launches during the five-month deployment in the Mediterranean and US waters. Britain watched as the unflappable Graham, sporting a white tropical uniform and shades, sat in his captain’s chair on the bridge, flipping between reading a tender letter from his wife and fielding technical queries about nearby shipping. Quietly assured in his charismatic command of his men, he was also viewed as “a good sport” and was seen hauling a freshly landed second sea lord out of a rubber submersion suit as well as skipping around his cabin with two other officers rehearsing a camp rendition of Three Little Maids from School, with which he would entertain his sailors. It was the series that launched a thousand naval careers and made “Big Wilf”, as his crew called him, a household name. This nickname came as a surprise to his family, who had known him as “Wid” ever since his little sister, Margaret, had first called him that as a child. He was born at the family home in Kilmacolm, near Glasgow, in 1925, the son of Bryce, who worked in shipping, and Jean, a keen sailor and golfer. He attended Rossall School, near Fleetwood, Lancashire, and fell in love with the sea during childhood summers spent sailing on his grandfather’s yacht. After being bombed by the Luftwaffe, Britannia Royal Naval College was relocated from Dartmouth to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, and Graham entered as a cadet in 1943. He saw active service before peace was declared, serving as a midshipman in HMS Sheffield, HMS Teazer and the battleship HMS Howe, in which he witnessed the end of the war. Graham later fought off fierce competition from a close friend to win the hand of Gillian Finlayson and they married in December 1951 at Burley, Hampshire. They raised four children at the family home in Crondall, near Farnham, when not posted abroad. Graham qualified as a gunnery officer in 1951, and soon went on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy. As a commander in the early 1960s, he was part of the British Polaris project to establish the navy’s submarine nuclear deterrent and worked as liaison officer to the chief of British naval staff in Washington. While there, he and his family were invited to John F Kennedy’s inauguration. Graham, however, had a crucial meeting to attend that day, but his wife and son, Angus, went. Back in England, while competing at the Dartmouth Regatta, his children heard him swear for the first time while “asserting his right of way while on the starboard tack”. He is survived by them: Angus worked in the building industry before his retirement; Simon is a forestry manager; Victoria is a former nurse; and Charlie works in IT. On his retirement from the Navy in 1979 Graham became a director of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. After a couple of days in the job he felt obliged to mention, perhaps only half in jest, that anyone who whistled Sailing within his earshot would be sacked. When he heard of the Penlee lifeboat tragedy in 1981, he was sitting on a plane at Heathrow Airport with his wife, about to embark on a skiing holiday. The flight left without them. Graham knew all too well how mercilessly violent the seas could be and raced straight to Cornwall. Sixteen people died in hurricane winds and pounding 60ft waves off Mount’s Bay: eight volunteer crew of the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne and eight aboard the stricken mini-bulk carrier MV Union Star, which included a pregnant woman and her two children. Graham arrived at the coast as wreckage was beginning to wash up and oversaw the aftermath of the tragedy for the charity, initiating action in the midst of a deeply traumatised community with calm decisiveness and empathy. Vice-Admiral Paul Bossier, the RNLI chief executive, said: “What happened to the Penlee lifeboat was a dreadful, dreadful tragedy. The crew went out on that night with all the courage that you would expect of them. But they never came home. The loss of these brave men was very much in the public eye, and Wilfred Graham held the RNLI together at a difficult time.” In addition to managing the Penlee crisis Graham pushed for faster, safer lifeboats and diligently toured the country to meet and encourage crews. Graham and Gillian eventually retired to Maiden Bradley, Somerset, where she died in 2004. He retained his close family ties to Scotland throughout his life and would revert to his native Glaswegian dialect after a few whiskies, sounding “more like what you’d hear on Para Handy’s Vital Spark than the bridge of Her Majesty’s ships”. Rear-Admiral Wilfred (Wid) Graham CB, was born on June 17, 1925. He died on February 2, 2018, aged 92 RIP Sir[/QUOTE] He sounds like an amazing man.

"Unflappable HMS Ark Royal captain known as ‘Big Wilf’ who became a household name in 1976 after a BBC documentary. Wilfred Graham was known as a “good sport” by sailors in the HMS Ark Royal ************************************************************************************************************************* Royal Navy carrier captains have to be prepared to turn their hands to anything, from overseeing a fast jet attack to schmoozing the most petulant VIP guests. They tour the multiple decks of their hulking warships each day to monitor morale and sniff out potential glitches. “Big Wilf” Graham’s 18-month command of the fourth HMS Ark Royal, which began in March 1975, had an added burden in that it was subjected to the scrutiny of television cameras for John Purdie’s popular series Sailor, aired in 1976. A military version of the Rod Stewart hit Sailing kicked off each episode’s candid account of the sometimes salty life of her 2,500-strong crew. Yet scenes of matelots lurching back on board after drunkenly roaring “get ’em off” at strippers (with little left to uncover) soon gave way to the painstaking training of the carrier’s Buccaneer and Phantom pilots, who had more than 2,000 catapult launches during the five-month deployment in the Mediterranean and US waters. Britain watched as the unflappable Graham, sporting a white tropical uniform and shades, sat in his captain’s chair on the bridge, flipping between reading a tender letter from his wife and fielding technical queries about nearby shipping. Quietly assured in his charismatic command of his men, he was also viewed as “a good sport” and was seen hauling a freshly landed second sea lord out of a rubber submersion suit as well as skipping around his cabin with two other officers rehearsing a camp rendition of Three Little Maids from School, with which he would entertain his sailors. It was the series that launched a thousand naval careers and made “Big Wilf”, as his crew called him, a household name. This nickname came as a surprise to his family, who had known him as “Wid” ever since his little sister, Margaret, had first called him that as a child. He was born at the family home in Kilmacolm, near Glasgow, in 1925, the son of Bryce, who worked in shipping, and Jean, a keen sailor and golfer. He attended Rossall School, near Fleetwood, Lancashire, and fell in love with the sea during childhood summers spent sailing on his grandfather’s yacht. After being bombed by the Luftwaffe, Britannia Royal Naval College was relocated from Dartmouth to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, and Graham entered as a cadet in 1943. He saw active service before peace was declared, serving as a midshipman in HMS Sheffield, HMS Teazer and the battleship HMS Howe, in which he witnessed the end of the war. Graham later fought off fierce competition from a close friend to win the hand of Gillian Finlayson and they married in December 1951 at Burley, Hampshire. They raised four children at the family home in Crondall, near Farnham, when not posted abroad. Graham qualified as a gunnery officer in 1951, and soon went on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy. As a commander in the early 1960s, he was part of the British Polaris project to establish the navy’s submarine nuclear deterrent and worked as liaison officer to the chief of British naval staff in Washington. While there, he and his family were invited to John F Kennedy’s inauguration. Graham, however, had a crucial meeting to attend that day, but his wife and son, Angus, went. Back in England, while competing at the Dartmouth Regatta, his children heard him swear for the first time while “asserting his right of way while on the starboard tack”. He is survived by them: Angus worked in the building industry before his retirement; Simon is a forestry manager; Victoria is a former nurse; and Charlie works in IT. On his retirement from the Navy in 1979 Graham became a director of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. After a couple of days in the job he felt obliged to mention, perhaps only half in jest, that anyone who whistled Sailing within his earshot would be sacked. When he heard of the Penlee lifeboat tragedy in 1981, he was sitting on a plane at Heathrow Airport with his wife, about to embark on a skiing holiday. The flight left without them. Graham knew all too well how mercilessly violent the seas could be and raced straight to Cornwall. Sixteen people died in hurricane winds and pounding 60ft waves off Mount’s Bay: eight volunteer crew of the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne and eight aboard the stricken mini-bulk carrier MV Union Star, which included a pregnant woman and her two children. Graham arrived at the coast as wreckage was beginning to wash up and oversaw the aftermath of the tragedy for the charity, initiating action in the midst of a deeply traumatised community with calm decisiveness and empathy. Vice-Admiral Paul Bossier, the RNLI chief executive, said: “What happened to the Penlee lifeboat was a dreadful, dreadful tragedy. The crew went out on that night with all the courage that you would expect of them. But they never came home. The loss of these brave men was very much in the public eye, and Wilfred Graham held the RNLI together at a difficult time.” In addition to managing the Penlee crisis Graham pushed for faster, safer lifeboats and diligently toured the country to meet and encourage crews. Graham and Gillian eventually retired to Maiden Bradley, Somerset, where she died in 2004. He retained his close family ties to Scotland throughout his life and would revert to his native Glaswegian dialect after a few whiskies, sounding “more like what you’d hear on Para Handy’s Vital Spark than the bridge of Her Majesty’s ships”. Rear-Admiral Wilfred (Wid) Graham CB, was born on June 17, 1925. He died on February 2, 2018, aged 92" [url]https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/obituary-rear-admiral-wilfred-graham-hsphz8fbv[/url]

There is to be a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Rear-Admiral Graham at All Saints Church, Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire on Tuesday 3rd April 2018 at 2.30pm.

[quote=Soleil;10176020]There is to be a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Rear-Admiral Graham at All Saints Church, Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire on Tuesday 3rd April 2018 at 2.30pm.[/quote] Many thanks for the information Soleil. I have merged two threads about Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham to keep information about him in the one place. Jim

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