Douglas Alexander Graham Major General Douglas Alexander Henry Graham CB , CBE , DSO & Bar , MC , DL ( 26 March 1893 – 28 September 1971 ) was a British soldier of the First and Second World War s . During his early life he studied at the University of Glasgow . When the First World War broke out , Graham was serving in the Cameronians ( Scottish Rifles ) and during the conflict was rescued by Henry May , the action that led to May being awarded the Victoria Cross . Shortly before the start of the Second World War , Graham was given command of the 2nd Battalion , The Cameronians . He commanded several different Brigades and Divisions during the Second World War including the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Infantry Division during Operation Overlord . First World War . After leaving Glasgow Academy , Graham was commissioned into 3rd Lowland Brigade , Royal Field Artillery , Territorial Force as a second lieutenant on 26 September 1911 , but he resigned his commission on 25 September 1912 . After attending the Royal Military College , Sandhurst , he was granted a regular commission , again as a second lieutenant , on 17 September 1913 , in the Cameronians . Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War , Graham was promoted to lieutenant , and he was serving in the 1st Battalion Cameronians ( Scottish Rifles ) , when , on 22 October 1914 , he was involved in an action that would lead to the award of the Victoria Cross . Whilst in the La Boutillerie area of France , Lieutenant Graham was wounded in the leg and a Private , Henry May , dragged him 300 yards to safety . Graham was promoted captain on 18 June 1916 , and was appointed a Brigade Major on 30 April 1917 He was awarded the Military Cross in the 1918 New Year Honours . He finished the war having also been awarded the French Croix de guerre . Inter - war period . Graham relinquished his appointment as Brigade Major on 8 June 1919 , and returned to regimental duty on 11 January 1920 . From 30 October 1921 he was seconded to the Indian Army as an Assistant Military Secretary . He returned to the United Kingdom in 1928 and was appointed a Staff Captain with 52nd ( Lowland ) Division from 19 February 1928 . He was promoted to major on 16 December 1930 , and from 31 December 1930 to 18 February 1932 he was Deputy Assistant Adjutant & Quarter - Master General ( DAA & QMG ) , Lowland Area , Scottish Command . From 1 May 1932 to 30 April 1935 he was Officer Commanding of the Cameronians Regimental Depot at Hamilton , South Lanarkshire . Second World War . In June 1937 he had been promoted lieutenant colonel , and given command of 2nd Battalion The Cameronians . In April 1940 he was given command of 27th Infantry Brigade with the acting rank of brigadier , and the substantive rank of colonel , part of the British 9th ( Highland ) Infantry Division . This changed its designation to the 153rd Infantry Brigade when 9th ( Highland ) was reformed as British 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division . On 11 June 1942 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE ) in that year ' s King ' s Birthday Honours , and on 14 January 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) for his actions on 2 November 1942 during the Second Battle of Alamein . Following Alamein he continued to command his brigade as it joined the Tunisia Campaign , he was involved in actions leading up to Operation Pugilist , in particular an attack on outposts of the Mareth Line on the night of 16 / 17 March , that and his performance up to the capture of Sfax won him a Bar to his DSO . In May 1943 he was given command of 56th ( London ) Division with the rank of acting major general , initially commanding in North Africa ( for which he was Mentioned in Despatches ) , and then for the landings at Salerno during Operation Avalanche on 9 September 1943 . During the landings and the subsequent campaign , his division was attached to the United States Fifth Army and as a result of his performance during the period up to 18 October 1943 , including the capture of Naples and the advance to the line of the Volturno River , he was appointed a Commander of the US Legion of Merit . He became a temporary major general on 14 May 1944 . His Italian service also led to him being appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath ( CB ) on 24 August 1944 . In January 1944 he was given Command of 50th ( Northumbrian ) Infantry Division which would take part in Operation Overlord , during the initial beach assault on Gold Beach , he was again Mentioned in Despatches for his contributions to the campaign , The rank of major general was made substantive on 6 October 1944 ( with seniority from 1 February ) . and made an officier of the Légion d ' honneur . He returned to England with the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division in November 1944 after the Division had played a supporting role in Operation Market Garden , the Division was identified to be a training Division , but was soon off to Norway where it was involved in the liberation in 1945 . He received a further Mention in Despatches for " gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe " on 22 March 1945 . In Norway he was Commander British Forces Norway where he convened the trial for war crime s of 10 German soldiers by a Military Court held at the law courts , Oslo , Norway . The accused were charged with committing a war crime , in that they at Ulven , Norway , in or about the month of July 1943 , in violation of the laws and usages of war , were concerned in the killing of Lt . A . H . Andresen , Petty Officer B . Kleppe , Leading Stoker A . Bigseth , Able Seaman J . Klipper , Able Seaman G . B . Hansen , and Able Seaman K . Hals , Royal Norwegian Navy , and Leading Telegraphist R . Hull , Royal Navy , prisoners of war . For his services to Norway , he was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St . Olav . Later life . Graham retired from the army on 6 February 1947 . Between 22 August 1954 and 26 March 1958 he was the Colonel of the Regiment of The Cameronians ( Scottish Rifles ) . He also served as Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Ross and Cromarty from 11 June 1956 until his resignation on 15 March 1960 .