Next of Kin plaque : Private H L Youds, 10 Battalion, AIF

Bronze next of kin plaque which shows Britannia holding a laurel wreath in an outstretched arm with a lion in front of her in raised detail. The words 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' appear in raised detail around the edge. The name of the dead soldier, 'HOWARD LEALAND YOUDS' is impressed within a rectangle with a raised border.

Next of Kin plaque issued to Clarence Gordon Youds, the brother and next of kin of 1198 Private Howard Lealand (often misspelt 'Sealand' on his service records) Youds in the early 1920s.

Howard Youds was born in Bowden, Adelaide in 1898. He was active in the Scout movement in his early teens and later founded, and became scout master of, the 1st Croydon Scout Troop. He was working as a hairdresser when the First World War began. His older brother Clarence had enlisted earlier and was an acting corporal with the 10 Infantry Battalion. Youds enlisted in the AIF at the age of 18 on 14 September 1914 and was also posted to the 10th Battalion as a private.

A month after he enlisted, his father, Thomas Youds, died. Clarence had already sailed with 10 Battalion for overseas service but Howard was still undergoing training in Australia and was able to attend the funeral. Youds embarked with the 1st reinforcements of 10 Battalion from Melbourne on 27 December, arriving in Egypt in early 1915. On arrival at the Battalion, he was posted to C Company. His brother, suffering lumbago, returned to Australia in February 1915.

After further training in Egypt, Youds was among the first wave of men to land on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He received a slight bullet wound to his left leg in the early days of the fighting, but remained on the peninsula. Youds and the much battered 10th Battalion were taken off Gallipoli in early July for three days rest on Imbros Island. Following this, they returned to Gallipoli to the front lines around Tasmania Post. The battalion was involved in digging trenches and improving their defences when Youds was killed on 30 July 1915. He was buried at Shell Green Cemetery No. 2 that same day.

When Clarence Youds received the Next of Kin plaque and scroll for his brother in the early 1920's, he noted that Harold's second name had been misspelt. He returned the plaque for correction and the entire name was removed and the correct name impressed into the bronze plaque.