Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Sergeant

Unit:

Mortar Group, Support Company, 7th (Galloway) Battalion, 1st Airlanding Brigade, 1st Airborne Division, British Army

Awarded on:

November 9th, 1944

Awarded for:

Operation Market Garden

"At Ollerton (??) near Arnhem on the 22nd September 1944, the crew of an anti-tank gun had had to leave it unmanned after having killed an enemy armoured car because of heavy and accurate sniping. The gun crew had suffered many casualties. Sergeant Keyes, on seeing this crawled out towards the gun and with complete disregard to danger, prepared it for movement despite the fact that additional enemy automatic weapons were also directed at him. Although the fire around him was by now very heavy indeed, he hitched his gun to a jeep which had been rushed up to him and brought it back within the Divisional perimeter safely. The gun was immediately prepared for action again and shortly after knocked out another semi-tracked vehicle. This act of bravery was a great inspiration to all around."

Ollerton is a village in Nottinghamshire, UK