Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War M.C. and Bar group of three awarded to Acting Captain L. L. Youell, Canadian Field Artillery, who was also mentioned in despatches for his gallantry on Vimy Ridge

Military Cross, G.V.R., with Second award Bar, the reverse privately engraved, ‘Leonard Lynde Youell, Lt., Canadian Field Artillery, Buckingham Palace, Feb. 26 1919’; British War and Victory Medals (A. Capt. L. L. Youell), together with a small lapel pin with portrait photograph, good very fine or better (4) £1800-2200

M.C. London Gazette 18 October 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He went forward with the attacking infantry, and on arriving at the final objective immediately established communication from front to rear. By his untiring efforts and disregard of exceptionally heavy shell and machine-gun fire, he was able to maintain telephonic communication throughout a critical time, when our left flank was being heavily counter-attacked, enabling the artillery to work in perfect co-operation with the infantry, and he was largely instrumental in preventing a breach in our line.’

Bar to M.C. London Gazette 15 February 1919:

‘For gallantry and devotion to duty. While acting as Forward Observation Officer on 3 September 1918, during operations on Etaing and L’Ecluse, he with one other Forward Observation Officer and an infantry officer of the 11th Infantry Brigade, went out in advance of the infantry and made a reconnaissance of the town of L’Ecluse. On arriving in the village they found 17 enemy in dug outs all of whom they took prisoners. From these prisoners they found that the road running through the village was mined, and placed a sign of warning over it to warn the approaching infantry. Throughout the operations he performed his duties admirably.’

Leonard Lynde Youell was born at Aylmer West, Ontario, in September 1894 and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Guelph in January 1916.

Subsequently commissioned in the Canadian Field Artillery, he was embarked for England and thence, in July 1916, for France, where he joined 43rd Battery, C.F.A., and it was in this latter capacity that he was mentioned in despatches for his gallantry at Vimy Ridge (London Gazette 1 June 1917, refers), in addition to gaining his M.C. for the above cited deeds at Hill 60 in the Ypres salient in August 1917. Having then transferred to 35th Battery, C.F.A., he won a Bar for his gallant work as a Forward Observation Officer at L’Ecluse in early September 1918.

In later life Youell donated his Great War diary to the Toronto Public Library, together with a number of photographs - see online: http://ve.torontopubliclibrary.ca/showcase/youell/index.html

Youell graduated from Toronto University in 1820 and embarked on a career as a civil engineer, and rose to become Vice President and General manager of Stone & Webster Canada Ltd.; sold with a file of research, including copied service record, newspaper cuttings and some of the recipient’s operational reports, together with a booklet with copied extracts from his diary.