Ronald Graham (aviator)

Ronald Graham
Air Vice Marshal Graham (left), the Air Officer Administration at BCHQ, studying a map of Germany with Arthur Harris and Air Vice Marshal Saundby.
Born	(1896-07-19)19 July 1896 Yokohama, Japan
Died	23 June 1967(1967-06-23) (aged 70) Sannox, Isle of Arran, Scotland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy (1915–18) Royal Air Force (1918–48)
Years of service	1915–48
Rank	Air Vice Marshal
Unit	Seaplane Defence Flight No. 13 Squadron RNAS
Commands held	RAF Staff College, Bracknell (1945) RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park (1944–45) AHQ West Africa (1944) RAF Kenley (1930) No. 233 Squadron (1918–19) No. 213 Squadron (1918) Seaplane Defence Flight (1917–18)
Battles/wars	First World War Second World War
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches Knight of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Other work	Commandant of the Scottish Police College

Air Vice Marshal Ronald Graham, CB, CBE, DSO, DSC & Bar, DFC (19 July 1896 – 23 June 1967) was a First World War flying ace of the Royal Naval Air Service. Remaining in the Royal Air Force after that war, he rose to the rank of air vice marshal during the Second World War.

Graham was a medical student when the First World War began. In 1915, he joined the Royal Naval Division. In September, he pulled a lateral transfer into the Royal Naval Air Service as a flight sub-lieutenant. In 1916, he served at the Dover Seaplane Base. He then moved to Dunkirk, flying cover for the North Sea Fleet. During this time, he was forced into landing in the sea on two occasions. He became part of the Saint Pol Seaplane Defence Flight, which formed on 30 June 1917. Graham tallied his first two victories at this time, destroying a German seaplane on 19 June while piloting a Sopwith Baby, and another while piloting a Sopwith Pup on 12 August 1917; the latter was shared with Leonard Slatter.