Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes
Lieutenant Colonel, Royal Scots Grays, (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps
- Register No.
- 690 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Lieutenant Colonel (register: Temp. Lieutenant Colonel) all Lieutenant-Colonels →
- Unit
- Royal Scots Grays, (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps (register: No. 11 (Scottish) Commando) all No. 11 (Scottish) Commando VCs →
- Date of action
- 17–18 November 1941 on this day → all of 1941 →
- Conflict / campaign
- Second World War
- London Gazette
- 19th June 1942 on this day → all of 1942 →
- Born
- 18th May 1917 at Aberdour, Fifeshire, Scotland
- Died
- in action on 18th November, 1941 at Beda Littoria, Libya
- Award
- Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
- Memorial / grave
- at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Benghazi, Libya and at St James' Cemetery, Dover, Kent
Digest of citation
On 17th/18th November, 1941 at Beda Littoria, Libya, Lieutenant Colonel Keyes commanding a detachment* of a force which had landed 250 miles behind enemy lines, led his men, without guides, in dangerous and precipitous country to attack a house which was believed to be General Rommel's headquarters. When they reach their objective, Colonel Keyes took one officer and one NCO with him and, having evaded the guards and dealt with the sentry, dashing into the first room they came to, killed all the occupants. Rushing into the second room, the occupants were the first to open fire and Colonel Keyes was mortally wounded. 17 other ranks of Scottish Commando
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
KEYES, Geoffrey Charles Tasker. (reg No. 690).
Lieutenant Colonel. Royal Scots Grays, (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps.
London Gazetted on 19th June 1942.
Born on 18th May 1917 at Aberdour, Fifeshire, Scotland.
Killed in action on 18th November, 1941 at Beda Littoria, Libya.
Memorial on grave at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Benghazi, Libya and at St James' Cemetery, Dover, Kent.
Digest of Citation reads: On 17th/18th November, 1941 at Beda Littoria, Libya, Lieutenant Colonel Keyes commanding a detachment* of a force which had landed 250 miles behind enemy lines, led his men, without guides, in dangerous and precipitous country to attack a house which was believed to be General Rommel's headquarters. When they reach their objective, Colonel Keyes took one officer and one NCO with him and, having evaded the guards and dealt with the sentry, dashing into the first room they came to, killed all the occupants. Rushing into the second room, the occupants were the first to open fire and Colonel Keyes was mortally wounded.
* Consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Keyes, Captain Campbell and 17 other ranks of Scottish Commando.
Additional information: lieutenant Colonel Keyes also held the Military Cross (MC).
Additional information
lieutenant Colonel Keyes also held the Military Cross (MC).
* Consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Keyes, Captain Campbell and
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Benghazi, Libya and at St James' Cemetery, Dover, Kent
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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