Sapper Edward Keaven

SAPPER EDWARD KEAVEN

1230 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

Edward Cornelius Keaven was born in Loughrea, Galway, Ireland in the first quarter of 1879 the son of Miles J. Keaven.

He came to Australia arriving as a single eighteen year old to Albany, Western Australia on February 4, 1897 on board the 5552-ton Orotava after a seventy-five day voyage under Master of the Ship John Allen.

In 1903 he was a yardman residing at Stephen Street, Bunbury, W.A. and in 1915 was a labourer at West Yuna, W.A.

At the recruiting depot in Geraldton, W.A. on October 29, 1915 the thirty-six year old unmarried bushman applied to enlist for active service abroad. Passing the medical examination forms of Attestation were completed and describe him as 178cms (5ft 10ins) tall, weighing 72.7kgs (160lbs) with a chest expansion of 88-94cms (34½-37ins) and had a medium complexion, hazel eyes and black hair. Religion was Roman Catholic. Distinctive marks were vaccination scars on his right arm, a birthmark on his left bicep, two scars under the left knee and an injury to the large toe on left foot. Next-of-kin nominated was his father Miles Keaven of Galway, Ireland and later of Prospect House, Oranmore, Galway.

Acknowledgement to the departing volunteers was published in the:

He was sworn in at Blackboy Hill camp near Perth on November 30, 1915 and allotted for basic training with the 37th Depot Battalion in the rank of Private.

Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 and Private Keaven was placed for basic training at the Helena Vale camp at Blackboy Hill, W.A. with the newly forming Corps on December 12, 1915. The Unit’s title was the No. 3 Company with a major portion of No. 3 Company recruited by 2nd Lt. L.J. Coulter, A.I.F. who was sent from N.S.W. to W.A. for that purpose. They were made up to strength with 1 Officer and 274 Other Ranks and embarked from Fremantle, W.A.

On December 18, 1915 the company sailed for Sydney, NSW on board the troopship SS Indarra. His name appears on the passenger list which was published in:

On Boxing Day (Dec 26th), 1915 the Unit arrived in Sydney and marched into Casula Camp, near Liverpool, NSW. They were joined by the 4th Section of the Tasmanian Miners, bringing the establishment strength up to 15 officers and 349 Other Ranks under the command of 2nd Lieutenant L.J. Coulter.

Mining Corps Units from all Military districts came together at Casula camp, near Liverpool, NSW to complete training as a Corps. Keaven was assigned the regimental number 1230 in the rank of Sapper and remained in No. 3 Company.

At a civic parade in the Domain, Sydney on Saturday February 19, 1916, a large crowd of relations and friends of the departing Miners lined the four sides of the parade ground. Sixty police and 100 Garrison Military Police were on hand to keep the crowds within bounds. The scene was an inspiriting one. On the extreme right flank, facing the saluting base, were companies of the Rifle Club School; next came a detachment of the 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, then the bands of the Light Horse, Liverpool Depot, and the Miners’ on the left, rank upon rank, the Miners’ Battalion.

The Corps boarded HMAT A38 Ulysses in Sydney, NSW on February 20 and sailed for the European theatre. Arriving in Melbourne, Victoria on February 22 the Miners camped at Broadmeadows for a stay of 7 days while further cargo was loaded.

Another parade was held at the Broadmeadows camp on March 1, the Miners’ Corps being inspected by the Governor-General, as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth military forces.

Leaving Melbourne on March 1, Ulysses arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia on March 7 where a further 53 members were taken on board.

On Wednesday March 8, 1916 the whole force, with their band and equipment, paraded at Fremantle prior to leaving Victoria Quay at 9.30 o’clock.

The ship hit a reef when leaving Fremantle harbour, stripping the plates for 40 feet and, although there was a gap in the outside plate, the inner bilge plates were not punctured. The men on board nicknamed her ‘Useless’. The Miners were off-loaded and sent to the Blackboy Hill Camp where further training was conducted.

The Mining Corps comprised 1303 members at the time they embarked with a Headquarters of 40; No.1 Company – 390; No.2 Company – 380; No.3 Company – 392, and 101 members of the 1st Reinforcements.

Finally departing Fremantle on April 1, Ulysses voyaged via Suez, Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt. The Captain of the shipwas reluctantto take Ulysses out of the Suez Canal because he felt the weight of the ship made it impossible to manoeuvre in the situation of a submarine attack. The troops were transhipped to HM Transport B.1 Ansonia, then on to Valetta, Malta before disembarking at Marseilles, France on May 5, 1916. As a unit they entrained at Marseilles on May 7 and detrained on May 11 at Hazebrouck.

A ‘Mining Corps’ did not fit in the British Expeditionary Force, and the Corps was disbanded and three Australian Tunnelling Companies were formed. The Technical Staff of the Corps Headquarters, plus some technically qualified men from the individual companies, was formed into the entirely new Australian Electrical and Mechanical Mining and Boring Company (AEMMBC), better known as the ‘Alphabetical Company’.

Four sections of the No. 3 Company were dispersed to various sectors for instructional training.

On June 6, 1916 Sapper left the field entering the 2 /1st S.A. Field Ambulance with Influenza and returned to his unit on June 22

Disciplinary action was taken for the following:

Crime: Creating a disturbance in billet in that he did use abusive language

to the section cook

Award: 14 days C.B. [confined to billet] 20/9/16

Sapper was injured on September 28, 1916 suffering a severed radial artery in his left forearm and admitted to the 2nd S.M. Field Ambulance and returned to duty on October 1, 1916.

The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.

Leave to England (not recorded) was granted but overstayed resulting Sapper returned to France under escort to the Aust General Bas Depot at Etaples on January 26, 1917 then marched out to Segregation camp four days later. He was discharged to the A.G.B.D. on February 24, 1917 and rejoined his unit from Headquarters on March 14.

The following action took place March 17, 1917:

Crime: While on Active Service

Overstaying leave in that he did overstay his leave from 8/1/17 until

Arrested in London on 20/1/17

Award: 12 days F.P. No. 1 [Field Punishment]

Total forfeiture: 25 day’s pay by O.C. 3rdTun Coy

The address of his father was filed on July 27, 1917 with Military Records.

His name appeared in the Casualty List printed in the:

On July 28, 1917 was wounded in action (mild) by a gas shell and taken to the 18th Casualty Clearing Station and transferred by barge 108 on July 31 to the 7th General Hospital at St Omer.

In the After War Summary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company the following was recorded:

He was evacuated to England on August 10, 1917 on the hospital ship St Denis and admitted the following day to the Temporary Hospital in Exeter.

He was transferred to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford on August 31, 1917 remaining until discharged to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth on September 5, 1917.

Sapper Keaven returned to Australia for a change due to being gassed on board H.T. Borda leaving Plymouth on September 26, 1917 and a scheduled refuelling took place at Nova Scotia.

In the After War Summary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company his name was recorded as follows:

The ship docked in Fremantle (5th M.D.) on November 12, 1917.

Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on December 6, 1917 as medically unfit.

For service for his country Sapper 1230 Edward Keaven, 3rd Tunnelling Company was issued with the British War Medal (8145) and the Victory Medal (8111).

Sometime between 1921 and 1924 Edward Keaven returned to Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland.

The Victory Medal was not claimed at the designated Barracks and returned to Base Records on September 30, 1924. Medals Section wrote a letter to the ex-soldier care of the last known address of next-of-kin on February 18, 1925. Edward completed the form on April 9, 1925 with his father’s address for delivery and the Victory Medal was forwarded on May 25, 1925 by registered post (3421). This was receipted by him on July 14, 1925.

Edward Keaven passed away between April and June of 1938 aged 58 years. His death was registered at Rathdrum, a village in County Wicklow, Ireland.

The Secretary of the Melbourne branch of the Repatriation Commission requested his Service Records from Base Records and forwarded on June 23, 1938.