Lt Col John Archibald Young ED went to Eton before being commissioned into the Regiment on the strength of his Eton OTC experience in 1921. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1923, Captain in 1929 and Major in 1935.
He was initiated in October 1931 at the age of 29 when he was a Captain in the Regiment. He was appointed IG 1933 and again in 1936 and then JD in 1937. Military postings prevented his further progress up the ladder and he was never installed.
He served in the Second World War with the King’s African Rifles, finishing the War as a half-colonel. He served with 28 (East African) Infantry Brigade served in central Burma under the command of IV Corps.
They played a key role in Operation Extended Capital, the pursuit of the Japanese to Rangoon, as it led the advance down the Gangaw valley, masking the presence of the 7 Indian Division behind. The brigade then made a feint crossing of the Irrawaddy River to drawn attention away from the main crossing being undertaken by the 7 Indian Division. The brigade faced sustained attacks, but the Ugandans, Tanganyikans and Somalis fought tenaciously and managed to beat off the attacks. The brigade suffered the heaviest number of casualties of all the five East African brigades deployed in Burma during the war.
He was awarded the ED in October 1951.
He died on 3 March 1985 at the age of 83.