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Auction: 8010 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 172

An Emotive Group of Five to Captain Late Regimental Sergeant Major F. Young, Hertfordshire Regiment, Whose Son, Second Lieutenant F.E. Young, of the Same Regiment, Was Awarded a Posthumous Victoria Cross for His Gallantry at Arras, September 1918 India General Service 1895-1902, V.R., one clasp, Relief of Chitral (3292 Sergt. F. Young 1st Bn. Bedford Regt.); 1914 Star, with later slide Bar (3292 C. Sjt. F. Young. 1/1 Herts: R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oakleaves (3292 A.W.O. Cl. I. F. Young. Herts. R.); Army Long Service & G.C., E.VII.R (3292 C. Sjt: F. Young. Bedford: Regt.), light contact marks overall, very fine or better, with photographic image of recipient and his son in uniform at Noeux-les-Mines, 6.6.1915 Estimate £ 400-450 Captain Frank Young (1874-1952), born Houghton Regis; joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, 1889; posted as Sergeant with the 1st Battalion to India, 1894, ´´Capt. Young has many memories of happy days spent in the Regiment and well recollects the Relief of Chitral and a Sergeants photograph being taken just inside the Malakand Pass, before an interested spectator who was none other than Winston Churchill, then at Chitral as a War Correspondent´´ (Article in The Wasp included in the lot, refers); transferred firstly as Colour Sergeant 3rd Battalion, 1903, and then to the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, 1910; he served during the Great War with the battalion on the Western Front from 6.11.1914; Regimental Sergeant Major February 1915; invalided home due to poor health in April 1916; commissioned Second Lieutenant, August 1916 (M.I.D. London Gazette 1.12.1916); Temporary Captain 9.9.1918 - 18.11.1919. Captain Frank Young had a son called Frank Edward Young, who served in the same regiment as his father and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his gallantry at Arras in 1918. V.C. London Gazette 14.12.1918 2nd Lt. Frank Edward Young, late 1st Bn., Herts. R. (T.F.), ´´For most conspicuous bravery, determination, and exceptional devotion to duty on September 18, 1918, southeast of Havrincourt, when during an enemy counter-attack and throughout an extremely intense barrage he visited all posts, warned the garrisons, and encouraged the men. In the early stages of the attack he rescued two of his men who had been captured, and bombed and silenced an enemy machine-gun. Although surrounded by the enemy, Sec. Lt. Young fought his way back to the main barricade and drove out a party of the enemy who were assembling there. By his further exertions the battalion was able to maintain a line of great tactical value, the loss of which would have meant serious delay to future operations. Throughout four hours of intense hand-to-hand fighting Sec. Lt. Young displayed the utmost valour and devotion to duty, and set an example to which the company gallantly responded.´´

Sold for
£1,250