Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes
| Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes | |
|---|---|
Geoffrey Keyes
|
|
| Born |
18 May 1917 Aberdour, Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 18 November 1941 (aged 24) Beda Littoria, Libya |
| Buried at | Benghazi War Cemetery, Libya |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1937–1941 † |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit |
Royal Scots Greys No. 11 (Scottish) Commando Middle East Commando |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Military Cross Croix de Guerre (France) |
| Relations | Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes (father) |
Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, VC, MC (18 May 1917 – 18 November 1941) was a British soldier of the Second World War and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award that can be made to British and Commonwealth forces for gallantry in the face of the enemy. At the time he was the youngest acting lieutenant colonel in the British Army.
Keyes was the oldest son of Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, a British naval hero of the First World War and the first Director of Combined Operations during the Second World War. He attended Kings Mead School in Seaford, Sussex, then Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Keyes was a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
Geoffrey Keyes was commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys. He saw action at Narvik and was later attached to No. 11 (Scottish) Commando, which was sent to the Middle East as part of Layforce.
Following the allied invasion of Syria on 8 June 1941, No. 11 Commando was sent to successfully lead the crossing of the Litani River in Lebanon, fighting against troops of the French Vichy régime, during which Keyes played a leading part. In this operation, Keyes earned the Military Cross. Following the action, 11 Commando returned to Cyprus, then to Egypt in August 1941, where the unit was left in limbo. Keyes, who had assumed command of the unit after his commanding officer, Colonel Richard Pedder, was killed during the Litani River offensive, was authorized to retain 110 volunteers as a troop in the Middle East Commando.
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