Editing Gerald Graham (section)

==Early life==
Graham was born in [[Acton, London|Acton]], Middlesex to Frances (née Oakley), of [[Yorkshire]], and Robert Hay Graham, of north [[Cumberland]], a medical doctor and descendent of [[Clan Graham]].

After studying at [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]] and [[Dresden]] he was admitted (1847) to the [[Royal Military Academy at Woolwich]] where he passed third out of his batch and received a commission as a [[Second Lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Engineers]] on 19 June 1850. He subsequently completed his military training in the [[Royal School of Military Engineering|School of Military Engineering]] at [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]].

As a young man, he was noted for his strong and imposing stature, reaching a height of {{convert|1.93|m|order=flip}} – a quality ultimately remarked upon throughout his career – as well as a reserved but kind disposition and a fondness for boating on the [[River Medway|Medway]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Colonel R. H. |last=Vetch |title=Life, Letters, and Diaries of Lieut.-General Sir Gerald Graham |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.81505|place=Edinburgh|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|year=1901}}</ref>