John Little (Le. 1949 -55) writes:
In appearance, Graham was strong in build and of good height. He was always impeccably dressed in a quietly refined manner; well suited for business and invariably in grey slacks, when relaxing. There was always a mirror-finish to his black shoes, having acquired the skill of bulling boots in his Army National Service as a Gunnery Sergeant in the Royal Artillery, stationed in "god-forsaken" Tonfanneau, in North Wales. Life became interesting one day when a live shell failed to be expelled from the gun, making for an extremely dangerous situation.
At school, in Leconfield House as a house- and school prefect, Graham was an earnest student of French and German, which gave him a solid grounding for his graduate studies at University College, Oxford. So, at College, Graham lived with his parents just off Walpole Terrace and, as far as is known, was the only person to walk to and from school via the wrought iron gate in the S.E. corner of the Playing Field: he was already destined to become 'special'!
At play, he was well rounded in his love of sports and pastimes... He represented the College at Cross Country and in the 440 metre middle distance athletics; was a very strong swimmer; enjoyed his cricket, bowling out of the back of the hand and as a lover of the slip-catch cradle in full cry. Graham also much enjoyed Squash; tennis; Golf; Snooker and Table Tennis and was an excellent ballroom dancer. He maintained his love of Squash and Golf, via the East Brighton Golf Course and Brighton Squash Club, well into manhood, maintaining lifelong friendships with at least nine confederates, five of whom were schoolmates. Such is the blessed magnetism generated by school- and College-life.
In those years, Graham was a great fan of film star Cary Grant and golfing legend Ben Hogan - sharing an uncanny resemblance to both. Graham loved a refined sense of humour; the debonair in others and a piquant sense of wit - rather like a well-crafted dry martini with a twist of lemon! He was as much at home in lively intellectual debate and conversation, as he was in spectating Wrestling at Brighton's Ice Stadium, in the company of three other 'Musketeers, (namely OBs, Gordon Halliday, David Cripps-Harris and John Little). They went largely to witness and share in the audience participation. He shared with them a love of active golf for over fifty years, together with many other pursuits and reunions.
During A-Level studies, Gordon had the temerity to pin a photograph of his first serious girlfriend to the wall alongside his locker in Leconfield's Horsebox, Prefects study). An unnamed Musketeer scrawled a caption asking whether this was an epitaph, which produced a scrawled, defensive reply from Casanova Gordon. Thus began a protracted, anonymous exchange of laconic remarks and quips, which journeyed up the wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall to the skirting board. They were all studying different subjects and so, the writings appeared poltergeist-fashion, to collective delight. Graham played his part and to the full! We took an early PhD in One Upmanship, which was all the rage in the Fifties; and redecorated the study with regret.
Graham was well rounded, steadfast and devotional, to family and to friends, with a sense of integrity second to none. He was married to the attractive and gifted professional photographer, the late Irmgard, whose two sons, Neil and Andrew both enjoy successful business careers in London.
Graham's entire career was devoted to the Confederation of British Industry. He was firstly an Executive in the CBI Overseas Directorate, averaging some seventy export- and oversea investment enquiries and subsequently in the Economic Department, where he gained a Directorship. Graham was awarded his OBE for unstinting service of some 45 years to the 34,000 CBI Member Firms and 2,000 Trade Associations, the subject matter was indeed panoramic, from pincushions to nuclear power stations.
He would also have participated in CBI Regional Conferences; and participated and organised international trade and investment Missions. Within the Overseas Directorate, Graham would have rubbed shoulders for with lifelong friends and ex-schoolmates Leonard Rea (2i/c CBI North American Dept), and John Little (CBI Commonwealth & South-East Asian Dept.), for five years, such was the state of the Nation! For some 45 years, Graham commuted daily from Brighton's Preston Park to London's Victoria - thence, to be confronted with a mile's walk to and from the CBI's Head Office at 21 Tothill Street, alongside Westminster Abbey - and subsequently, at Centre Point. That is the best part of 35,000 fifty-mile trips by train! True Grit! When travelling, he would have spent much of his time as a passenger, meditating, doubtless on the contents of his day and of the morrow: an OBE well and truly merited.
It was both a delight and indeed an honour to be counted as a close friend and colleague and he engenders very many happy memories.
Yes, GRAHAM, THE MASTER-MASON.
Roger Beasley (Ha. 1949-55) writes:
I first met Graham when I joined Hampden house in 1949 and we shared the tin huts with Leconfield. After he left in 1954 we played for the same Brighton cricket club for a number of years and when Graham retired we played golf with another friend from the same Brighton cricket club until Grahams back problems meant he had to give up golf. We still met for lunch each year with our wives and kept in touch until his beloved Irmgard died when meeting became more difficult.
I loved our conversations over the years about old times, the state of the country and the world because Grahams job at the CBI gave him a much greater insight into what was actually happening. He was a very dear friend with a lovely dry sense of humour, gentle and fair minded. I will miss those conversations and his wise council but i am grateful for his friendship and if i was asked to summarise his life in a few words I can only borrow the inscription on George Eliot's grave in Highgate cemetery,
'Of those immortal dead who live again in minds made better by their presence'.
He certainly made my mind better and no doubt most who met him in his long and well lived life.