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A historically important uniform grouping belonging to Lt Colonel Geoffrey Keyes VC. The grouping is housed in original japanned tin trunk. The trunk was originally issued to his uncle on his mother’s side who was killed in 1916 during the first world war, in Keyes biography it states “When it came to getting his kit ready before joining the Scots Greys, he found that his uncle Dicky Bowlby’s full-dress uniform had scarcely been worn. It was of better quality than contemporary materials, and needed almost no alteration.” The trunk has a paper label attached which has the inked details of Geoffrey Keyes.
Inside the trunk are various items of uniform including his tropical issue short sleeve tunic which is produced in a typical officer quality whip cord material. The tunic has original brass Scots Greys regimental buttons. Bronzed officers shoulder rank insignia to the straps. Loops on the chest for medal ribbons. To the inside of the tunic is stitched initials “G K”. With this tunic is the original shorts which are also in whip cord material. What is interesting about these is that they have has an extra pocket added to the side which we can only assume is for the carrying of a British issue commando knife.
Another item of uniform is the officers pattern short type wool great coat. This coat is of superior quality and is privately tailored with original Moss Bros tailors label to the inside which has the inked name details on the label for “G.C.T Keyes”. The coat does sadly have some slight moth tracking but nothing to detract from the coat. Also with the coat is his original tam o’shanter in almost the same material which has the black hackle which is unique to the regiment. Also with the grouping is a tropical issue shirt which has slip on rank slides to the shoulders.
A couple of items of equipment are with this grouping including a small side pack which has two sets of slip on tropical shoulder insignia slides. Also a brown leather sam browne sword hanger and strap. A pair of horse riding spurs and a selection of British uniform rank lace, this was in the bottom of the trunk when purchased. Some of this lace is for a naval uniform so probably relates to his father who was Admiral of the Fleet later head of Combined Operations Sir Roger Keyes.
In the trunk are also a selection of dress mess jackets which were probably his uncles but more than likely worn by Keyes. Also a civilian hunt jacket which again would of been worn probably by him in civilian life. A pair of standard mess dress trousers are with the grouping, I strongly believe that these are the trousers being worn by Keyes in a famous photograph of him and his father after his presentation at a Levee in 1937, this photograph is printed in the Keyes biography.
The last item of note in the grouping is a small silver hallmarked christening cup which has the engraved details to the front “Geoffrey Charles Taskar Keyes 18th May 1917 From Wardroom Officers H.M.S Centurion”. The cup is in very good condition showing nice age patina.
Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes served with the Royal Scots Greys and was attached to the 11 (Scottish) Commando in Narvik & North Africa during WW2. He was awarded the Military Cross and French Croix de Gueere for actions against the Vichy French in the crossing of the Litani River in Lebanon. It was during his last Commando operation that Keyes would come to fame by winning the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in front of the enemy, awarded to members of the British armed forces. Its code name was “Operation Flipper”.
In advance of the main thrust Middle East Commando was given two tasks. L Detachment was to raid landing grounds in the Gazala-Tmini area while No 11 Commando was to target various HQ buildings in the Cyrene area including Rommel's HQ. In addition telephone and telegraph communications were to be sabotaged. The raids were to take place on the night of 17/18th November - the eve of the launch of Crusader.
A small party left Alexandria on the evening of the 10th of November 1941 in the submarines Torbay and Talisman. On board the former were Lt. Col. Geoffrey Keyes, two officers and 22 men and on the latter were Laycock, two officers and 24 men. They arrived off the landing beaches on the 14th. Keyes was in command of the raid on Rommel's HQ with Laycock responsible for the supervision of the wider Flipper operation.
Waiting on the beach were Captain Jock Haselden and an Arab soldier to guide the foldboats and dinghies to the beach and to assist in bringing the vessels ashore. The remainder of Haselden's men, comprising two British officers, a Free Belgian Captain and an Arab soldier, were laid up inland. All had been dropped in the area earlier in the day by the Long Range Desert Group. Haselden and his men had some knowledge of the area and would later play a part in sabotaging communication links.
At 6.30 p.m. Haselden flashed his torch out to sea and by 6.50 p.m. the first of the foldboats arrived out of the darkness. However before all the men could disembark from the submarines heavy seas intervened and of Laycock's party only 7 men and Laycock himself made it ashore. There was now an immediate need to review the plans taking into account the reduced resources and the overriding need to co-ordinate the raids with Crusader on the night of the 18th. Amended plans were drawn up as follows; an attack on Rommel's house & HQ by Keyes and 18 other ranks, the sabotage of telephone and telegraph communications at the cross-road south of Cyrene by Lieutenant Cook and 6 other ranks and on the El Fridia to Slonta road by Haselden and his 5 other ranks. Under cover of darkness on the 15th they set off on their 15/20 mile trek inland in heavy rain.
Laycock decided to remain at the rendezvous with the reserve ammunition in the hope that the rest of his men would arrive. He was the only person, other than Keyes, who understood the plan in its entirety and he would be needed to lead his men should they succeed in coming ashore.
As Keyes approached his objective at Beda Littoria on the 17th November friendly Arabs indicated that Rommel's HQ was located at Sidi-Rafa. This was a view also held by Haselden and so Sidi-Rafa became the new target. The plan was for Keyes, Captain Campbell and Sergeant Terry to enter the building. Other ranks were to take up positions to prevent enemy interference. These deployments were to; disable the electric light plant, watch the exits from the guard tent and car park, prevent anyone from leaving a nearby hotel, guard the road either side of the building and guard whatever entrance Keyes and his men used to gain access to the building.
All parties took up position just before midnight. Having found no entry at the rear of the building Keyes, Campbell and Terry walked up to the front door and beat upon it. Campbell demanded entry in German. The door was opened eventually and on realising he had been duped the sentry put up resistance. Unable to overpower him silently Campbell shot him.
A burst of fire from Terry's Tommy gun persuaded two Germans, who deemed to investigate the commotion, to return upstairs. Outside sentries gunned down two others who were seen running towards the building. Lights were switched on in many rooms. Keyes and Campbell started a systematic search of the ground floor. The occupants of the second room decided to resist and a burst of fire hit Keyes as he opened the door. He fell back into the corridor mortally wounded. Terry emptied two magazines into the room and Campbell finished the job by throwing in a grenade and closing the door. They took Keyes outside where he died almost immediately. While attending to him Campbell's lower leg was broken by a stray bullet. He ordered Terry to regroup the men and to have them dispose of their remaining grenades through any available windows. He then ordered himself to be abandoned as the men made their way to their operational RV. He realised that to be carried some 18 miles to the beach over precipitous terrain and 2000 feet of decent would be an intolerable burden on his men and might jeopardise their safe return. Campbell would later have his leg amputated in an Italian prison camp.
Jack Terry and his seventeen men met up with Laycock and his base party of three at the RV but nothing more was heard of Cook and his group of six. On the night of the 18th Torbay made contact with Laycock by Aldis lamp. Once more the seas were too rough to launch the dinghies but the submarine managed to get food and water ashore. The next day it became clear that the enemy was aware of Laycock's position on the beach. First Arab Carabinieri, then small groups of Germans and then Italians were seen in the area. Fire was opened on Laycock and his men and he was forced to abandon his position and move inland. He ordered his men to form small units of no more than three men and to make their escape from the area. Optional destinations included an alternative beach where Talisman would be waiting, the Slonta area where it was known that the Long Range Desert Group was operating or wadis to the north of Cyrene where they could lay up until definite news of the progress of Crusader was received. Later friendly Arabs told Haselden that a map of the landing beach had been found on one of the British prisoners. This accounted for the early discovery of the well concealed beach party.
Of the entire force only Laycock and Terry made it back to British lines after 37 days in the desert. The remainder of the force were either taken prisoner or killed by hostile Arabs. It later transpired that Rommel had never used the building raided by Keyes although at one point he had used the original building but only as a logistics HQ. In any event he had been in Rome and did not return to North Africa until the 18th. Jock Haselden and his men completed their demolition task and successfully returned to Allied lines courtesy of the Long Range Desert Group. The raid was largely unsuccessful since few of its objectives were achieved and virtually all the men involved from Middle East Commando were lost in action or taken prisoner.
Keyes was buried with full Military Honours on the orders of Erwin Rommel.
For his part in the raid Lt. Col. Geoffrey Keyes was posthumously awarded the first Commando Victoria Cross. The citation reads as follows, The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the VICTORIA CROSS to the under mentioned officer: —
Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, M.C. (71081), The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armored Corps (Buckingham).
Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes commanded a detachment of a force which landed some 250 miles behind the enemy lines to attack Headquarters, Base Installations and Communications. From the outset Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes deliberately selected for himself the command of the detachment detailed to attack what was undoubtedly the most hazardous of these objectives the residence and Headquarters of the General Officer Commanding the German forces in North Africa. This attack, even if initially successful, meant almost certain death for those who took part in it.
He led his detachment without guides, in dangerous and precipitous country and in pitch darkness, and maintained by his stolid determination and powers of leadership the morale of the detachment. He then found himself forced to modify his original plans in the light of fresh information elicited from neighboring Arabs, and was left with only one officer and an N.C.O. with whom to break into General Rommel's residence and deal with the guards and Headquarters Staff. At zero hour on the night of 17th-18th November, 1941, having dispatched the covering party to block the approaches to the house, he himself with the two others crawled forward past the guards, through the surrounding fence and so up to the house itself. Without hesitation, he boldly led his party up to the front door, beat on the door and demanded entrance.
Unfortunately, when the door was opened, it was found impossible to overcome the sentry silently, and it was necessary to shoot him. The noise of the shot naturally aroused the inmates of the house and Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes, appreciating that speed was now of the utmost importance, posted the N.C.O. at the foot of the stairs to prevent interference from the floor above. Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes, who instinctively took the lead, emptied his revolver with great success into the first room and was followed by the other officer who threw a grenade. Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes with great daring then entered the second room on the ground floor but was shot almost immediately on flinging open the door and fell back into, the passage mortally wounded. On being carried outside by his companions he died within a few minutes.
By his fearless disregard of the great dangers which he ran and of which he was fully aware, and by his magnificent leadership and outstanding gallantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes set an example of supreme self sacrifice and devotion to duty.
This grouping has been acquired over the last year by The Fallen Eagle Militaria from various sources. We are of the understanding that his officers sword is still in a private collection and his Victoria Cross is in the Lord Ashcroft collection. This is a fantastic grouping of items relating to a very famous member of the armed forces who on 18th November 1941 gave his life serving his king and country.
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