Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An outstanding father and son M.C. family group:

‘To be at large for thirty-six days before escaping from the country, to have been so frequently seen, sometimes certainly to have aroused suspicion, and yet to have evaded recapture, might perhaps be attributed to Turkish lack of organisation. Our escape from armed villagers; our discovery of wells in the desert, of grain in an abandoned farmhouse, and of water (which just lasted our stay) in the ruined wells on the coast; and finally, the timely reappearance of the motor-tug with all essential supplies for the sea voyage - any one of these facts, taken alone, might possibly be called “luck,” or a happy coincidence; taken in conjunction with one another, however, they compel the admission that the escape of our party was due to a higher Power.’

450 Miles to Freedom, refers.

The Great War siege of Kut and escaper’s M.C. and Bar group of five awarded to Hon. Brigadier K. D. Yearsley, Royal Engineers, the story of his epic home run from captivity appearing under the title 450 Miles to Freedom - The Adventures of Eight British Officers in their Escape from the Turks

Military Cross, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar, unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. K. D. Yearsley, R.E.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. K. D. Yearsley); Coronation 1937, mounted as worn, very fine or better

The Second World War Imphal operations M.C. group of six awarded to Lieutenant J. K. N. Yearsley, Royal Engineers, who was seriously wounded in attempting to sweep a track of mines - ‘his magnificent example of coolness under fire in almost suicidal conditions was an inspiration’

Military Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, mounted as worn, good very fine (11) £4000-5000

FATHER

M.C. London Gazette 23 October 1919:

‘For distinguished service in connection with the defence of Kut-al-Amarah.’

Bar to M.C. London Gazette 30 January 1920:

‘In recognition of gallant conduct and determination displayed in escaping or attempting to escape from captivity, which services have been brought to notice in accordance with the terms of Army Order 193 of 1919.’

Kenneth Darlaston Yearsley, who was born in April 1891, was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in December 1910 and advanced to Lieutenant in December 1912.

First entering the Mesopotamian theatre of war in September 1915, he was employed in operations with General Townsend’s Anglo-Indian Corps and, following the unsuccessful attack on Ctesiphon, among those to retreat to Kut. Subsequently surrounded by Turkish forces under Marchal von der Gotz, the garrison was compelled to surrender in April 1916, having endured five months of appalling conditions - owing to the poor health of the survivors, and their subjection to Turkish ill-treatment over the coming months, nearly half of their number were destined to die in captivity.

450 Miles to Freedom

For his own part, Yearsley was originally incarcerated in camp at Kastamoni, thence at Changri from September 1917 and, from April 1918, at Yozgad - the scene of his escape with seven other officers and a ‘home-run’ to Cyprus, and the subject of his future memoir 450 Miles to Freedom, co-written with fellow escaper, Captain (afterwards Brigadier) M. A. B. Johnston, M.C., a gunner who added a D.S.O. to his accolades at Dunkirk in 1940.

Yearsley, Johnston, and six other officers broke out of their camp on the evening of 7 August 1918, their ensuing journey to freedom being fraught with hardship and danger, partly owing to a shortage of funds and provisions, the former being necessary to pay off suspicious Turkish peasants and, on one occasion, to bribe a policeman who had been informed of their whereabouts.

The quest for food and water often lured them into dangerous situations, but such was their need that on one occasion three of the party dressed up as German troops, entered a Turkish store, and billed the Kaiser for one week’s rations; on another they were pursued by armed tribesmen from a village well, but fortuitously the latter were poor shots - but for the likes of Yearsley, who was nicknamed “Looney” by his comrades, running away from said rifle fire in his ‘iron-clad ammunition boots’ must have been heavy going.

After all manner of hair-raising episodes, however, the party reached the coast, where the search began to obtain a vessel to take them across the 120 miles of water to Cyprus - the first such search nearly ending in disaster after a sentry was alerted by a chain that slipped over the gunwhale. At length, however, a motor boat was procured and Yearsley and his companions safely reached Cyprus in mid-September.

On arrival back in England, the escapers were individually received by the King, Yearsley noting ‘his kindly welcome and sympathetic interest in what we had gone through will ever remain a most happy recollection.’ He was awarded a Bar to his earlier M.C. for the defence of Kut, in addition to being mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1916, refers).

Post-war, he served as a Staff Captain at the War Office in 1922-26, gaining advancement to Major in April of the latter year and, having then been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in October 1934, was granted the honorary rank of Brigadier on ceasing to be a member of the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in April 1949.

Sold with a presentation copy of the recipient’s memoir, 450 Miles to Freedom, red leather binding, with ink inscription, ‘To my darling Norah, “a Queen’s copy,” from Kenneth, 11/11/19’, so inscribed because the only other such bound copy he presented to the King.

SON

M.C. London Gazette 5 October 1944. The original recommendation for an immediate award states:

‘On 7 June 1944, in the Imphal area, Lieutenant Yearsley was in command of a party of sappers whose task was to sweep a track with mine detectors prior to an advance by tanks. The track was in full view of at least three enemy positions at a range of not more than 100 yards. The sappers were accompanied by a section of infantry who went up the track with them.

The party had gone about 20 yards when one of the men operating a mine detector was hit. The whole party took cover along the shallow bank of the track. Lieutenant Yearsley dressed the wounded sapper and then at once got up and set the sapper party to work again.

The party was forced to take cover in the lee of the track a second and third time by bursts of fire from the enemy positions which were well concealed on the crest of a small spur. On each occasion as soon as the fire died down, Lieutenant Yearsley immediately got up and set the party to work, despite the fact he knew he was in full view of a concealed enemy at very close range.

On the fourth occasion when the enemy fire broke out Lieutenant Yearsley was hit and seriously wounded. Though very weak he continued to direct operations until he became unconscious from loss of blood.

Lieutenant Yearsley must have been apparent to the enemy as the only officer present. The fact that he was prepared repeatedly to expose himself to what therefore amounted to a certain hit, was largely instrumental in enabling the enemy positions to be located and silenced by tank fire.

His magnificent example of coolness under fire and his devotion to duty in almost suicidal conditions was an inspiration to the men with him.’

John Kenneth Noel Yearsley was serving on attachment to 20 (Indian) Field Company, Royal Bombay Sappers & Miners, at the time of the above cited deeds, and added a mention in despatches to his accolades before the War’s end (London Gazette 5 April 1945, refers).

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for his M.C., and several related congratulatory messages, together with his M.I.D. certificate, cut down for framing, and related field signal and letter from the Commandant of the Royal Bombay Sappers & Miners, and several wartime photographs, including the recipient in the Western Desert and the Arakan.