Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Royal Scots Greys Full Dress Tunic of Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes V.C., M.C., of scarlet cloth with blue facings and gold lace decoration to the collar, cuffs and skirt pockets, regulation plaited gold cord epaulettes, complete with single rank star, all gilt metal buttons and with silver bullion fused grenade collar badges. Tailor’s label for Rogers and Company, 8, New Burlington Street, W.1, with ink inscription ‘G.C.T.Keyes, Esq.,’ the tunic retains good colour but with mothed areas and nips overall, the lining distressed £2000-3000

Note: Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes was a son of Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes (1st Baron) the WWI Naval hero. Born 18 May 1917 at Aberdour, Fife, Commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys 28 January 1937 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He saw action at Narvik and was attached to No. 11 (Scottish) Commando. He was awarded the M.C. in the fighting against the Vichy French in Lebanon. Operation Flipper was conceived October/November 1941 to disable various enemy positions and it also included a plan to assassinate Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, C.O. of the Axis forces. The raid took place on the night of 17th/18th November, Keyes on his own initiative and by now a temporary Major to attack what was believed to be Rommel’s headquarters. The attack became confused, several of the enemy were killed but Keyes was mortally wounded. He was subsequently awarded a posthumous VC (19th June 1942) and a Croix de Guerre.

At the time of his death Keyes was an Acting Lieutenant-Colonel, the youngest in the British Army