Remembering the man who saved the Irish Wolfhound

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A GROUP of about 100 people gathered in Dursley, Gloucestershire, recently for a day of events to celebrate and remember the life and pioneering work of Captain George Augustus Graham (1833-1909) whose dedication places him at the forefront of the 19th century revival of the Irish Wolfhound.
Those who came included several generations of the Captain’s descendants and devotees of the breed from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Norway, accompanied by ten Wolfhounds and a Saluki, as well as members of the local history society, representatives of the local community including the MP and mayor and governors, staff and students from the town’s Rednock School. The latter is named after, and built on the site of, Graham’s home, where he spent more than 40 years pursuing a breeding programme by which he saved this giant hound from extinction.

Rededicated

The day began with a service in St Mark’s Church conducted by Janet Bromley the Rector of Dursley who then rededicated the grave of the captain and his wife which had been beautifully and professionally restored by local stonemasons from LW Clutterbuck Ltd. The cost of this work was met by donations from the international Irish Wolfhound community which responded to an appeal launched in 2007 by owner, breeder and exhibitor Dr Nicholas Wilkes (Strickenoak) of Northumberland. He took action after reading an article by Dursley resident and local historian Andrew Barton in which the grave’s sorry state of disrepair at the turn of the millennium was highlighted. This was so even though there had been a refurbishment of the grave in 1985 supported by the breed community.
Exactly 100 years to the day after George Augustus Graham had been laid to rest to the mournful lament of the Scottish pipes, a number of wreaths and flowers on behalf of his descendants and breed clubs were placed on the grave.
Unable to attend the day was Jacqueline Carswell, president of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America, who sent a message acknowledging the common debt those around the world associated with the breed owe to Graham for his efforts in preserving the Wolfhound.
The party left the graveyard the party accompanied by a police escort to walk a short distance to St James Church in the centre of Dursley to view a number of memorials to the Graham family located inside and outside the parish church.
The dogs attending the event were allowed in both churches and the graveyard and posed for photographs before everyone made their way to Rednock School. whose brand new state-of-the-art buildings were only opened this year.
After lunch in the community centre the visitors joined a school assembly attended by Rory Webster, a great grandson of Captain Graham.
To the skirl of the pipes, Rory then unveiled a plaque in the school hall commemorating Captain Graham, paid for by those who contributed to the grave restoration appeal.
A second and larger plaque, also paid for out of the donations and which shows Captain Graham and an Irish Wolfhound looking at each other, was unveiled by Dursley’s mayor, Cllr Jane Ball.
“Some of the dogs, all of whom had behaved impeccably during the day, were taken for a well deserved stretch of the legs on neighbouring Cam Peak with its spectacular views over the surrounding countryside,” Dr Wilkes said.

Worthy cause

“The day was both memorable and enjoyable, the weather favourable and the cause a worthy one. All those present agreed that the day had been a fitting tribute to Captain Graham whose legacy, the noble Irish Wolfhound, is, 100 years after his death, truly international.”