Victoria Cross awarded to Thomas Young (1826-69). Lieutenant Young took part in the Relief of Lucknow on 17 November 1857. He was commanding a group of sailors in the Naval Brigade from HMS ‘Shannon’ who were attempting to breach the walls of the Shah Nujeff mosque. The mosque was being held by the mutineers who caused heavy casualties among the sailors until only Lt Young and Able Seaman Hall, a member of one of the gun crew were left, the rest being killed or wounded. Lt Young took the last gunner's place and between them, he and Hall loaded and fired the gun. The mosque was finally captured three hours later. Both Young and Hall received the Victoria Cross.

Captain Young was born in 1826 and entered the Navy around 1840. He was promoted to Captain on 11 April 1866 and died in Caen in Northern France in 1869 where he is buried. The Museum also holds the following medals awarded to Young: Crimean War Medal, bars Azoff and Sebastopol (MED2324), Turkish Crimean Medal (MED2327), Order of Medjidie, 5th Class (MED2326), Indian Mutiny Medal, bar Relief of Lucknow (MED2325).

The medal comprises a bronze Maltese Cross fitted with a loop, ring and a blue ribbon suspended from a bar of ornamental laurel leaves by a V. In the centre of the obverse face is a Royal Crown surmounted by a lion, crowned passant, guardant, both within a ribbon, together with the inscription, ‘FOR VALOUR’. The reverse is inscribed, ‘LIEUT.T.J.YOUNG NAVAL BRIGADE’, along with the date, ‘16 NOV 1857’.