Saturday 22nd April 1916: We have learned with regret that
Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Younghusband DSO was killed yesterday in Mesopotamia.
He came from an old Northumberland family who have always given their sons for
service in the army or navy. Owing to the early death of his father, it was
thought best that he enter civilian life. This idea not suiting him, he
insisted on enlisting in his uncle’s (who had been killed in South Africa) old
Regiment, the South Wales Borderers, giving his age as 18 when he was only just
17 years old. A commission was offered him in two years’ time, but he did not
see his way clear to accepting it. However, four years later, in 1900, he was
gazetted as Second Lieutenant in the Bedfordshires. He saw active service in
Jabaland and Somaliland with the King’s African Rifles and in 1901 he
distinguished himself by his coolness and resource and management of a
maxim-gun in Sanala Zariba. From Somaliland he joined his own regiment, the
Bedfords(1), in South Africa. In 1905 he married the eldest daughter of Mr E
Thompson-Smith JP, of Colchester (cousin of Mr Geoffrey Howard of Bedford). He
again joined the King’s African Rifles in British East Africa(2). In October
1908 he was given his captaincy, while his majority was gazetted September 1st,
1915.
When war
broke out he was adjutant of 5th Battalion, Bedfordshires, with which, after a
year’s training, he went to the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the 1st/5th Bedfords
did so well and earned the name of the “Yellow Devils”. There he won his DSO,
for conspicuous bravery on the field of battle and was mentioned in despatches.
Having recovered from a wound he took over command of the 7th Gloucesters,
being gazetted Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel on January 24th of this year and
with them went to Mesopotamia, where he has just been killed in action(3).
Twice Major Younghusband has been stationed in Bedford, where all those who
knew him loved and respected him. He was a great favourite with his brother
officers in all the battalions with which he has served. He leaves a widow and
a little girl.
Source: Bedfordshire Times, 5th May
1916
(1) 2nd
Battalion
(2) Now Kenya
(3) Part of
39th Brigade, 13th (Western) Division. They were trying to relieve the Turkish
siege of Kut-el-Amara but failed and Kut surrendered on 29th April.
Younghusband has no known grave and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial. His
widow Ethel lived at “Tuggall”, Burke’s Road, Beaconsfield [Buckinghamshire].
He was 39.
