Sir Norman helped shape Scots health and education

A civil servant who guided the country's education department through a period of expansion has passed away. Sir Norman Graham, who lived in Longniddry, died last month at the age of 97.

He was best known for his influential political life as secretary of the Scottish Education Department between 1964 and 1973, and was knighted towards the end of that chapter of his distinguished career.

Having been born in Dundee in 1913, he moved to the country's largest city where he first studied at the High School of Glasgow before going on to Glasgow University, where he studied classics and then history, achieving a first in both.

Almost immediately after that he became a civil servant, and the beginning of his career brought two demanding bosses, which shaped him well for the rest of his life.

As the principal private secretary in the Ministry of Aircraft Production he served both Max Beaverbrook and Sir Richard Stafford Cripps, both of whom were answerable to the Prime Minister and relied heavily on Sir Norman's judgement.

One of his first crowning achievements came in 1940 when he was selected to renegotiate the transfer of aircraft that had been promised to France, and managed to do so without damaging relations.

He was almost persuaded to join the Royal Navy when war broke out, but his political abilities were deemed too valuable to lose.

Once the war concluded he returned to Scotland to work for the Department for Health, where his initial challenges included preparing for the advent of the NHS.

Sir Norman then became assistant in that department, where his enthusiasm for both large-scale and smaller projects was noted.

Among causes close to his heart was the Bangour Village Hospital in West Lothian, which provided care for the elderly and those suffering from dementia.

At the same hospital just west of Dechmont he helped to establish a burns unit, which became acknowledged for its expertise.

His final posting in 1964 was also his most senior, as the secretary to the Scottish Education Department, where he embarked on a period of modernisation.

His well-earned retirement arrived in 1973, at which point he was able to further enjoy golfing and gardening in Longniddry.

He also played a key role in taking Heriot-Watt from a technical college to fully fledged university, receiving an honorary degree from there and Stirling University.

He is survived by wife Catherine – who he married in 1949 – two sons and a daughter.