Lyall, FG

2nd Lieutenant Francis Gerald Lyall

Born on February 16^th 1884, in Cawnpore, Bengal, Francis was the son of Kenelm Lyall and his wife, Violet. His father passed away when he was 10, by which point the family was resident in London, and he went on to join the College in early 1908, alongside his younger brother, who was also named Kenelm. He spent two years at Dulwich, and after leaving at Easter 1910 spent time learning agriculture at a fruit farm in Kent, during which time he was also a member of the OA Gymnastics Club.

Francis had gone out to Australia, but returned to England upon the declaration of war, and enlisted as a member of the City of London Yeomanry. In the summer of 1915 he spent some months at Sandhurst, and after passing out took up a commission in the Border Regiment. He went over to the continent for the first time in July 1916 and spent much of the rest of that year serving through the battle of the Somme. On December 10^th that year he was trying to save a wounded comrade near Les Boeufs when he was killed by a German sniper.