James Graham (British Army soldier)

James Graham
Born	1791 County Monaghan, Ireland
Died	28 April 1845 (aged 53–54) Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1813–1830
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Coldstream Guards 12th Royal Lancers
Battles/wars	Bergen op Zoom (1814) Quatre Bras Waterloo
Awards	specially cast gallantry medal Waterloo Medal recognition as "the bravest man in England"

James Graham (1791–1845) was an Irish non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the British Army during the Napoleonic wars, recognised as the "bravest man in the army". Serving in the Coldstream Guards, he was commended for his gallantry during the defence of Hougoumont, at Waterloo. Graham saved the life of an officer, and his own brother, and was among the small group responsible for closing the North Gate at Hougoumont after a French attack – an act which won the Duke of Wellington's encomium. He was rewarded with a specially cast gallantry medal and an annuity. Graham continued to serve with distinction, and was credited with saving the life of Lord Frederick FitzClarence during the arrest of the Cato Street conspirators. After later serving in the 12th Royal Lancers, Graham was discharged in 1830 for ill health, and died at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in 1845.

James Graham was born in 1791, in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. One of three brothers to serve in the British Army, Graham enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards in 1813, which was then stationed in England. Almost all soldiers at the time signed on for life in exchange for a "bounty" of £23 17s 6d, a large portion of which was absorbed by the cost of outfitting "necessities". Graham was assigned to the battalion's light company, and by 1815 had been made a corporal. It was not unusual for Irishmen to join English or Scottish regiments after the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland. Most battalions during the Napoleonic wars had a proportion of Irish soldiers. The Coldstream Guards were a regiment of Foot Guards, a group of elite infantry regiments of the British Army. In background and natural attributes, recruits to the Foot Guards differed little from those recruited into other regiments, but they received superior training and were expected to maintain rigorous discipline. Wellington considered Guards NCOs to be among the best in the army.

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