Alastair Hugh Graham

Alastair Hugh Graham (27 June 1904 – 6 October 1982) was an honorary attaché in Athens and Cairo, an Oxford friend of Evelyn Waugh, and, according to Waugh's letters, one of his "romances".

Biography

Alastair Hugh Graham was born on 27 June 1904 to Hugh Graham (1860-1921), of Barford House, Barford, Warwickshire, and Jessie, daughter of Andrew Low, of Savannah, Georgia. His father was the younger son of Sir Frederick Ulric Graham, 3rd Baronet (1820–1888), of the Graham Baronets of Netherby in Cumberland, and Lady Jane Hermione Seymour (1832–1909), daughter of Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset.

At Oxford, he met Evelyn Waugh around Christmas 1923 or slightly before. There, Graham was part of the Hypocrites' Club with Waugh. Graham sent Waugh a nude photo of himself near a waterfall, asking Waugh to "Come and drink with me somewhere".

In his memoirs, Waugh stated that Graham was the inspiration of Lord Sebastian Flyte even more than Hugh Lygon. In the manuscript of Brideshead Revisited, the name "Alastair" sometimes occurs instead of "Sebastian".

From 1937 he lived privately – because of his homosexuality Graham is thought to have been the original of Lord Cut-Glass in Thomas' play Under Milk Wood.