Yorke David Garnett Downing Lt 253705
Personnel Entry
Name Yorke David Garnett Downing
Army number 253705
Rank Lt
Decorations None known beyond service medals.
Date of birth 24/3/1921 at Lancaster.
Age 85 at the time of his death.
Unit Posted as Cadet to 164 OCTU. Joined The Durham Light Infantry - granted an Emergency Commission as a 2/Lt 28/11/1942. Posted to the 14th Battalion DLI 28/11/1942. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI 5/12/1943. Served Normandy. Posted to No. 52 Regimental Holding Unit. Posted 101 Reinforcement Group 6/5/1944 - return to 11th Battalion requested 27 May 1944. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI 5/6/1944. Evacuated wounded to No 3 Casualty Clearing Station 27/6/1944. Posted to the 14th Battalion DLI. Unemployed list 1947. Relinquished Emergency Commission on appointment to a Commission on the TA General List 1/9/1948. Posted as a 2/Lt - Cambridge and County School Contingent Combined Cadet Force 1/9/1948. RARO Lt (Hon Lt) 1/4/1950. Resigned Commission 31/8/1952.
Company/Battery 14th Battalion - B Company, Battalion HQ. 11th Battalion - A Company.
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role 14th Battalion - Duty Officer 1942. Platoon Commander - 7th Platoon. Captain and Assistant Adjutant 1945
Joined Brigade 05-Dec-43.
Promotions W/S Lt 28/5/1943, T/Captain 15/6/1945, Lt 1/9/1948.
Wounded Yes - 27/6/1944.
Prisoner of War Not as far as is known.
Died/Killed in action
Home address Father - Garnet Oliver James Alexander Yorke, mother Adelaide Mathews. In the 1939 Register he lived at Hullah, Outwood Lane, Horsforth, Leeds. Went up to Cambridge in 1939 - Downing College - to read Geography. Married Pauline Groves July 1945 in Central Durham. Occupation post-war - Schoolmaster. Resident in Cambridge 1950. Their son - Michael Downing Yorke - also was an undergraduate at Downing College in 1965.
Source table 11DLI
The McGregor Card Index has Lt Yorke's Officer number as 243745 - it appears that 253705 is correct.