Auction Catalogue

16 December 2003

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

Lot

№ 771

.

16 December 2003

Hammer Price:
£920

Three: Private C. H. Young, 24th (The Queen’s) Battalion, London Regiment, killed at Givenchy on the night of 25/26th May 1915, the same action in which Lance Corporal Keyworth gained the award of the V.C.

1914-15 Star (2138 Pte., 24-Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals (2138 Pte., 24-Lond. R.); together with memorial plaque (Charles Young) the medals and plaque contained in two seperate contemporary bronzed glazed frames, these of superb quality, each being surmounted by a Queen’s Regiment cap badge, the frame containg the plaque with ribbon in Queen’s Regiment colours surrounding the plaque, and with Buckingham Palace scroll within a glazed insert in rear of frame, extremely fine (4) £250-300

Charles Henry Young lived on the Old Kent Road, in London and enlisted at Kennington. He was killed in action at Givenchy on the night of 25/26 May 1915, whilst serving with the 1st/24th Battalion, London Regiment. His name is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France.

Lance Corporal Leonard James Keyworth of the 24th Londons was awarded the Victoria Cross for the same action in which Young was killed. His V.C. citation states: ‘For most conspicuous bravery at Givenchy on the night of 25-26 May 1915. After the successful assault on the German position by the 24th Battalion, London Regiment, efforts were made by that unit to follow up their success by a bomb attack, during the progress of which 58 men out of a total of 75 became casualties. During this very fierce encounter Lance Corporal Keyworth stood fully exposed for two hours on the top of the enemy’s parapet, and threw 150 bombs amongst the Germans, who were only a few yards away.’