In a remarkable military career, Captain Thomas Graham was commandant of a former camp for Nazi prisoners, learnt to speak Nepalese, and served on the Cold War frontline.
The Black Watch officer, who has died aged 75, also served in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, and was part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
His final deployment, after he had left regular service, was running Barry Buddon training camp near Carnoustie.
Thomas, of Aberdour, was born in December 1947, the son of Thomas, a First World War Black Watch veteran, and his wife Janet.
Education
He grew up with siblings Janet, Zena, Pat and Robin, and was educated at Aberdour primary and then Burntisland secondary school.
At the age of 15 in 1963, he joined the army as a junior leader and was based in Oswestry in Shropshire.
In a career lasting more than three decades, he progressed through the ranks to become a regimental sergeant major before receiving his commission.
During his career, Thomas was based in West Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine, served in the jungles of Malaysia, Hong Kong, Belize and Guyana, the deserts of Libya and Australia and many more places in between.
He had several years away from his regiment based at the Highland Division training depot at Glencorse, near Edinburgh.
Honour
His wife, Helen, said: “The pinnacle of this part of his career was being RSM of 1/51 Highland Volunteers, which included the privilege of organising the presentation of the new colours by the Queen Mother in a grand parade on the North Inch in Perth, on July 4 1986.”
Thomas and Helen had known each other since primary school and had lived close to each other in childhood.
They went out together as teenagers but parted when Thomas joined the army.
However, they met up again in 1974 and married at Dalgety Bay Church in 1975. The couple went on to have three daughters and a son.
Thomas was commissioned in 1987 and took up the role of families officer for The Black Watch in Berlin. He left Germany just before the Berlin Wall came down for a tour of Northern Ireland.
In 1990 he became an officer attached to 6 Gurkha Rifles in Hong Kong, where he learnt Nepalese and was a respected member of a small group of British officers who became part of the Gurkha family.
Commandant
His final posting was to Edinburgh as the officer in charge of the cadet training team.
When he left full-time military service he went on to become commandant of the former prison camp for Nazis at Cultybraggan, Comrie, part of the defence training estate at that time.
When it closed, he took up a similar post at Barry Buddon, by Carnoustie.
Outside the military sphere, Thomas, who enjoyed Scottish history and travel, was a member of Aberdour Bowling Club.
He also became part of The Black Watch Welfare Committee supporting former service people and families.
You can read the family’s announcement here.