Lot Essay
INDENTM.M. London Gazette 24.1.1946 "Corporal Richard Victor Thomas Youens, Royal Corps of Signals (Maidstone)". The recommendation states "R.V.T. 30 Corps District Signals. Throughout the campaign Cpl. Youens has commanded a detachment of a line section employed on building the Corps lines forward. During the whole period, and particularly in the advance from the Rhine when his detachment was usually the foremost, he has consistently shown courage and determination of the very highest order in pressing on his work whatever the difficulties.
In his zeal to get his line as far ahead as possible he regularly worked forward of Battalion HQ into Company areas where his heavy vehicles inevitably attracted fire: several times the end of his line was used by a Battalion for communication with a forward Company. Equally often his lorries were the only "soft" vehicles in the neighbourhood of an armoured force. On 9th April his detachment of nine men was working a little way behind the leading squadron of tanks, on a stretch of the road from Furstenau to Schwagsdorf where there were no other troops, when they were attacked from a wood just off the road. Cpl. Youens handled his detachment so ably that they not only repelled the attack without loss but took about 20 prisoners; then continued their line.
In the Reichswald fighting this detachment worked for days and nights in a flooded area where their vehicles were useless and all stores had to be manhandled, building and repairing lines which were continually cut by enemy fire. Only the fine example and drive of Cpl. Youens kept his men going.
These two instances are typical of the very high standard of personal bravery, leadership and resolution which Cpl. Youens has always displayed in the face of, sometimes, almost insuperable enemy and natural obstacles".
In his zeal to get his line as far ahead as possible he regularly worked forward of Battalion HQ into Company areas where his heavy vehicles inevitably attracted fire: several times the end of his line was used by a Battalion for communication with a forward Company. Equally often his lorries were the only "soft" vehicles in the neighbourhood of an armoured force. On 9th April his detachment of nine men was working a little way behind the leading squadron of tanks, on a stretch of the road from Furstenau to Schwagsdorf where there were no other troops, when they were attacked from a wood just off the road. Cpl. Youens handled his detachment so ably that they not only repelled the attack without loss but took about 20 prisoners; then continued their line.
In the Reichswald fighting this detachment worked for days and nights in a flooded area where their vehicles were useless and all stores had to be manhandled, building and repairing lines which were continually cut by enemy fire. Only the fine example and drive of Cpl. Youens kept his men going.
These two instances are typical of the very high standard of personal bravery, leadership and resolution which Cpl. Youens has always displayed in the face of, sometimes, almost insuperable enemy and natural obstacles".