Please advise the best way for a novice to make a compilation video for YouTube

Kdenlive, openshot, davinci resolve. All free and more than adequate to do what you want.

Or if you've already trimmed to length and just want to stack end to end with no transitions, a single ffmpeg command can do that.

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This is potentially all I need to do but please explain ffmpeg command.

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If on Windows then you would have to download the program.

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At most I might want to add background music on top of the completed stacked video, so could I do that with the free options you listed?

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Yes all of the free options listed (except ffmpeg) are full-featured non-linear video editors that can handle multiple video and audio tracks and add effects as you please. Hollywood movies have been produced with Davinci Resolve.

If you need a little kickstart, all these programs work basically the same way. You will create a project, load up all your video files, and then just drag and drop them onto the timeline in whatever order you want. If you want to get fancy, you can fiddle with effects and transitions and whatnot. Adding an audio track is similarly easy, just add the file to the project and then drag it to where you want it on the audio timeline.

When you like what you've got, you'll have to "render" or "export" the project to create a standard playable video file.

Have fun!