SIR MARK A YOUNG GCMG

Mark Aitchison Young was born in 1886, the third son of colonial administrator William Mackworth Young and his second wife, Frances Mary. Young was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He entered the Ceylon Civil Service in 1909 and served in the British Army with the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) during World War I from 1915.

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During the 1920's and 1930's, Young had various roles in Ceylon, Sierra Leone, Palestine, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Tanganyika Territory.

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On 10 September 1941 Young was appointed Governor of Hong Kong. Following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, he was a prisoner of war in Japanese hands from December 1941 to August 1945. Young resumed his duties as Governor of Hong Kong on 1 May 1946, after having spent some time recuperating in England.

 

Mark Young was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (G.C.M.G.) in 1946. He retired from the governorship in 1947.

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Sir Mark and Lady Young bought Lang House after his retirement in 1948. The auction brochure describes the house as a "charming residential property .... on an unsurpassed site with extensive views over the Royal Winchester Golf Course and open country beyond. The district is a noted residential one generally regarded as the foremost in Winchester ...". (See Lang House page for image of brochure). The Young's lived there for over 25 years.

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Sir Mark Young died in 1974. Lady Young sold the house in 1975.