commissions were dated : lieutenant 17 Feb. 1854, captain 28 Oct. 1858, brevet major 22 Nov. 1859, brevet lieutenant-colonel 15 Feb. 1861, brevet colonel 15 Feb. 1869, regimental major 5 July 1872, regimental lieutenant-colonel 27 Sept. 1876, major-general 19 Oct. 1881, lieutenant-general 21 May 1884, colonel-commandant of royal engineers 10 March 1899.
After the usual course of professional instruction at Chatham, Graham went to Portsmouth in the summer of 1852, and embarked on 24 Feb. 1854 for Turkey to take part in the war with Russia. He was employed with his company at Gallipoli on the defensive lines of Boulair, and in May went to Varna, and was engaged in the engineering preparations for the expedition to the Crimea. He was present at the battle of the Alma on 20 Sept. 1854, was employed in both the left and the right attack at the siege of Sebastopol, was present at the battle of Inkerman on 5 Nov., and distinguished himself throughout the siege by his coolness under fire. He was slightly wounded on 13 April 1855 in No. 7 battery, when that advanced work opened fire. He led the ladder party of Sir John Campbell's column in the unsuccessful attack of the right flank of the Redan on 18 June, and, after the first check, made a second attempt, lying for some time with his ladders and sailor party under fire, vainly waiting for the storming party. 'The vast stature of the young engineer who directed their energies,' says Kinglake, made him strangely conspicuous in the field, and it was on Gerald Graham and the sailors that the praises of observers converged.' Lord West, who succeeded to the command of the column when Sir John Campbell was killed, wrote that he wished he could do justice to - the daring and intrepid conduct of the party, and that Graham, who led it, evinced a coolness and a readiness to expose himself to personal risk deserving great credit.
Graham was again wounded in the trenches on 9 July, and had to go to Therapia, but returned in time for the final operations of 8 Sept. After the fall of Sebastopol he was employed in the demolition of the docks. He embarked for England on 9 July 1856 in the transport Clarendon in command of troops ; the vessel sprang a leak in a heavy gale in the Mediterranean, and off Cadiz the troops were removed in boats without casualty to a French merchant ship, from which a week later they were transferred to H.M.S. Centaur, and landed at Portsmouth on 14 Aug.
For his services in the Crimea Graham was twice mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 21 Dec. 1855 and 15 Feb. 1856), received the war medal with three clasps, the 5th class of the Turkish Medjidie and of the French legion of honour. For his conduct at the assault of the Redan and for devoted heroism in sallying out of the trenches on numerous occasions, and bringing in wounded officers and men, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (ib. 24 Feb. 1857), and was decorated by the queen in person at the review in Hyde Park to inaugurate the newly instituted honour on 26 June 1857. A brevet majority was also bestowed upon him in 1859.
After being quartered in Scotland and at Aldershot Graham went to India in August 1858 to take command of the 23rd company, royal engineers, at Lucknow. Owing to bad weather he did not reach Calcutta until Christmas. The mutiny war was practically over, and in October 1859 he took his company to Canton, at that time in British occupation. From Canton he joined at Hong Kong, in the spring of 1860, the force of Sir Hope Grant to take part in the Anglo-French expedition against. China. Early in June he sailed for Talien-wan Bay, the British rendezvous, as Chi-fu was the French, and landed with the combined forces at Peh-tang to attack the northern Taku forts in rear. Graham was present at the successful actions at Sinho on 12 Aug. and Tang-ku on the 14th, and was severely wounded on the 21st when directing the pontoon party at the victorious assault of the Taku forts. In spite of his wound he mounted his horse (also wounded) and continued to direct his men until his horse was again struck, and he was obliged to quit the field. As soon as he was convalescent he was again at the front, and on 5 Oct. marched with the second division to Pekin, took part with his sappers in the occupation of the An-ting Gate on the 13th, and was present at the entry of Lord Elgin into Pekin and the signing of the treaty on the 24th of that month. He arrived in England on 24 May 1861. For his services in China he was mentioned in despatches (ib. 4 Nov. 1860), received the war medal with two clasps, and a brevet lieutenant-colonelcy. He did duty in England as commanding royal engineer at ShornclifFe camp and at Brighton until he went to Aldershot in March 1865. From May 1866 he was for over three years commanding royal engineer at Montreal, and, while in Canada, his previous war services were further rewarded by a military C.B. and a brevet colonelcy. On his return home he was quartered at Chatham and Manchester, and in 1871 at York,
