Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes

Led a daring night raid against enemy headquarters in Libya.

Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes was born on 18 May 1917 at Aberdour, Fife, where his family was living while his father served with the Grand Fleet. His parents were Roger Keyes, later Admiral of the Fleet and first Baron Keyes, and Eva Mary, née Bowlby. His father's naval career took the family to several homes, including Malta. Geoffrey attended King's Mead School at Seaford and Eton before entering the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He had hoped to join the Royal Navy, but his eyesight prevented admission. Commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys in 1937, he served in Palestine before returning to Britain on leave early in 1940.

During the Norwegian campaign in spring 1940, he served with the Narvik Expeditionary Force. An accomplished skier, he worked as a liaison officer with French Chasseurs Alpins. He returned to Scotland after the Allied withdrawal and received the French Croix de Guerre for this service. He subsequently joined No. 11 (Scottish) Commando, entering a form of warfare that placed particular demands on initiative, endurance and leadership. In January 1941 the unit sailed for the Middle East and became part of Robert Laycock's commando force, Layforce.

On 9 June 1941, during the Syria and Lebanon campaign, No. 11 Commando attacked positions around the Litani River. Its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Pedder, was killed. Keyes assumed command and distinguished himself in the fighting and river crossing, earning the Military Cross, gazetted on 21 October 1941. He continued to lead the remaining men after the unit's subsequent reorganisation and became a temporary lieutenant-colonel.

In November he commanded the assault party for Operation Flipper, a raid intended to strike German headquarters and installations far behind the Axis lines in Libya. The operation preceded the British offensive, Operation Crusader. Keyes personally selected the most dangerous objective: the building at Beda Littoria believed to house General Erwin Rommel and his headquarters. Submarines carried the commandos to the coast, but heavy seas disrupted the landing. The men who reached shore then faced a difficult approach through steep country in darkness and torrential rain.

During the night of 17–18 November, Keyes approached the building with Captain Robin Campbell and Sergeant Jack Terry while other men covered the approaches. A struggle with a sentry forced the raiders to open fire, losing surprise. Keyes led the assault into the ground-floor rooms and was mortally wounded. His companions carried him outside, where he died within minutes, aged 24. Rommel was absent and the intelligence identifying the building had been mistaken. Keyes's Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously for his leadership and conscious acceptance of the raid's extraordinary danger.

Victoria Cross citation

Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, M.C. (71081), The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured 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 neighbouring 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 despatched 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."

The London Gazette, 19 June 1942, issue 35600, page 2699.