Chrystal, Paul/Youll, Nina Jack Youll. VC Great War Hero

And the First World War on the Western Front and in Italy

John Scott Youll (June 189727 October 1918) was an electrician in a coal mine in a small village near Hartlepool, County Durham, before volunteering for the army in 1915. He joined the 1st Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, showed promise early on and was selected for officer training. He saw his first combat action on the Western Front and was mentioned in dispatches for his conduct during the heavy fighting at Polygon Wood in the Third Battle of Ypres. But it was only after his transfer to Italy that he received the Victoria Cross for his exceptional bravery and leadership near Asiago during the Third Battle of the Piave. The citation for Lieutenant Youll's medal states that throughout the fighting, by his utter disregard for his own safety and his very brave leadership, he set a magnificent example to all. . This occurred during a prolonged action in which, among other things, he single-handedly stormed an Austrian machine-gun nest that was pinning down his unit, killed most of the crew and turned the weapon on the enemy. Tragically, Lieutenant Youll was killed shortly afterwards during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the last battle of the Italian campaign, just twenty-four hours before the armistice on that front and only two weeks before the end of the war. Jack Youll's example of dutiful service, leadership and courage has received little recognition to date, apart from a dignified grave memorial in his hometown. This detailed account, written by his relative Nina Youll and historian Paul Chrystal, is finally a fitting tribute to a soldier of the First World War.