Francis John Graves was born on 22 Feb 1849, the son of James Perceval Graves and Georgiana Lees. He commanded mounted troops in the 2nd Brigade in the Sudan in 1885. He was involved in the fighting at the Tofrek zareba on 22 March for which he was mentioned in despatches and made brevet lieutenant-colonel. He married Sybil Mary Hurfurd on 1 Mar 1871. The photo shows him c1890 while he was in command of the 20th Hussars. He is riding somewhere away from the regiment, on a horse that has a non-military bridle. It is unusual to see an officer mounted wearing a frockcoat. This form of undress was usually reserved for dismounted duties. The patrol jacket was the normal attire for undress mounted occasions. Top image courtesy of Humphrey Barclay.
1869 Cornet 23 Jan
1871 Lieutenant 28 Oct
1879 Captain 7 June
1879 Appointed Adjutant Staffordshire Yeomanry
1883 Major 3 Oct
1885 Lieutenant-Colonel, Aug
1889 Commanding Officer until 1891
