World War One Soldier

William Keid:

World War One Soldier

Mia Starkey

Corinda State High School

Focus Question One

What are the biographic details of the soldier?

Source 1

Source Details

Australian War Memorial (AWM).(2014). Roll of Honour-William Keid.Retrieved from

Notes

Name- William Keid
Service number-170
Rank-Trooper
Unit- 2nd Light Horse Regiment
Service- Australian Army
Conflict- First World War, 1914-1918
Date of death- 23 June 1915
Place of death- Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire
Age at death- 29
Place of association- Graceville Queensland, Australia
Cemetery or memorial details- Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, CanakkaleProvine, Turkey

Source 2

Source Details

Australian Government, National Archives of Australia. (2014). Retrieved from

Notes

Joined on 21 August 1914
Age- time of enlistment paper- 28 yrs 4 months
Trade- Carpenter
Next of Kin- Mother- Mrs Mary E Keid, Molonga St, Graceville
Cause of death- died of wounds
At time of enlistment-

-Height- 5 feet, 7 ¾ inches

-Weight- 147lbs

-Complexion-dark

-Eyes- Brown

-Hair- Black

Previously rejected as unfit for His Majesty’s Service
Place of death- GabaTepe Dardanelles, Gallipoli Peninsula
1 Brown paper parcel- contents- disc, knife, belt, note-Book, Wallet, Letters, photos, pendant, pipe
Son of Mr. C. G. Keid of Graceville
Buried at sea 3 miles from GabaTepe- 24th June 1915

Source 3 (Visual Source)

Source Details

The National Library of Australia. (n.d). The Brisbane Courier (Qld:1864-1933)(Saturday 19th June 1915). Retireved from

Notes

William Keid + 5 brothers
Text reads- SIX OF A FAMILY FOR THE FRONT. The Keid boys, of Graceville, Brisbane, Sons of Mr. Charles G. Keid. Reading from left to right- Private H. C. Keid (30), Private W. Keid (29), Private L. Keid (28), Private E. Keid (26), Private B. W. Keid (22) and Private H. G. W. Kied (20). Four of the boys are already at the Front and the other two are in training at Enoggera. –Photos by Talma, Pegan and Mathewson.
William Keid- second, top row
Father- Mr. Charles G. Keid
Home- Graceville, Brisbane
Date of newspaper- Saturday 19th June 1915

Source 4

Source Details

The AIF Project.(2014). William Keid.Retrieved from

Notes

School- Junction Park State School, Brisbane, Queensland
Religion- Methodist
Occupation- Carpenter
Address- Malonga St, Graceville, Brisbane, Queensland
Marital status- single (not married)
Age at embarkation- 28
Height- 5’7.75”(5 feet, 7.75 inches = 172cm)
Weight- 147lbs (66 kg)
Next of Kin- Mrs. Mary. E. Keid, Malonga street, Graceville, Brisbane, Qeenslans
Previous Military service- Nil
Enlistment date- 21 August 1914
Place of enlistment- Brisbane, Queensland
Rank on enlistment- Private
Unit name- 2nd Light Horse Regiment, A Sqaudron
Embarkation details- Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board Transport A15Star of Englandon24 September 191
Rank from nominal roll- Private
Unit from nominal roll- 2nd Light Horse Regiment
Place of death- Quinn’s Post, Gallipoli
Wounded in action, GabaTepe, 23 June 1915 (gun shot wound, pelvis); died of wounds and buried at sea, 10 am, 24 June 1915, 3 miles from GabaTepe.
Medals- 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Focus Question Two

What is the soldier’s service history?

Source 1

Source Details

Australian War Memorial (AWM).(2014). 2nd Light Horse Regiment. Retrieved from

Notes

William Keid’s Unit- 2nd Light Horse Regiment
Raised Enoggera- Queensland- 18 August 1914
Gallipoli with horses- landed 12 May 1915
Played defensive role most of campaign
Did attack the Turkish trenches opposite Quinn’s Post-one of most contested positions along ANZAC Line
First assault wave- mown down + fortunately officer commanding attack had wisdom + courage- call it off.
2nd Light Horse Regiment –withdrawn front line- September- left the peninsula 18 December

Source 2

Source Details

Project Leader (Australian Light Horse Studies Centre).(2009). 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment.Retrieved from

Notes

Formed part of 1st Light Horse Brigade
Left on- HMAT A15 Star Of England from Pinkenbar Wharf in Brisbane, Queensland-24 September 1914
Pennant (Flag)-Green + white, distinguished horse + troop lines, failed identify individual with unit.
The AIF 1st Australian Division Standing Orders issued in December 1914 ordered Australian Light Horse Regiments- wear 4 inch wide [10.2cm] blue armband with regiment name marked on band black lettering
Colour Patch-2nd Light Horse Regiment- cloth 1¼ inches wide , 2¾ inches long , worn on sleeve one inch below shoulder seam, green over white
Gallipoli- landed 12 May 1915
Used once offensive activities on 7 August 1915 - attack on Turkish position opposite Quinn’s Post.
2nd Light Horse Regiment withdrawn front line-September, left the peninsula 18 December 1915

Source 3

Source Details

Officers of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Queensland, 1914, (1914), John Oxley Library, State Library Queensland, Retrieved from

Notes

Group photograph officers- 2nd Light Horse Regiment
Taken Melbourne before departed for combat overseas
Col. Robert Mackay Stodart - Commanding Officer of 2nd Light Horse Regiment

Source 4

Source Details

Miller, S, (2014), Digitised@SLQ- Rev George Green Diaries, Retrieved from

Notes

Information from catalogue record at SLQ
2nd/14th Australian Light Horse origins- Queensland Volunteer Defence Force
Units -Queensland Mounted Infantry- service South Africa 1899-1902
2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment - alliance 2nd Light Horse + 14th Light Horse regiments
Raised -World War I , service separate units
2nd Light Horse- service Gallipoli + Middle Eastern campaigns, including Jerusalem + Beersheba.
14th Light Horse served - Middle East +Palestine.
The Reverend Captain George Green - clergyman from Emerald +Rockhampton in Central Queensland when enlisted in the Australian Army - September 1914
Served - chaplain with 2nd Light Horse Regiment- Gallipoli +Middle Eastern campaigns

Focus Question Three

How did the soldier die and does he have any living relatives?

Source 1

Source Details

The AIF Project.(2014). William Keid. Retrieved from

Notes

Died of Wounds-23rd June 1915
Place of death- Quinn’s Post, Gallipoli, Turkey
Age at death- 29
Gun shot wound, pelvis
Buried at sea, 10 am, 24 June 1915, 3 miles (4.8km) from GabaTepe
Commemoration details- The Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 2), Gallipoli, Turkey
Family- Parents- Charles George Keid + Mary Elizabeth Keid, Malonga Terrace, Graceville
Family- Brothers- Military connections- Sergeant Bennett Walter Keid, Sergeant Edward Alexander Keid, Harold Guy Walker Keid, Henry Charles Keid, Leonard Keid

Source 2

Source Details

The National Library of Australia.(n.d.).Worked for Red Cross and Needy(Headline from- The Courier-Mail, (Brisbane, Old,: 1933-1954). Retrieved from Elizabeth Keid&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords|||notWords|||l-textSearchScope=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||fromdd|||frommm|||fromyyyy|||todd|||tomm|||toyyyy|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Notes

Date of newspaper- 5 December 1941
Headline- Worked for Red Cross and Needy
Article reads- Mrs Mary Elizabeth Keid, who died recently at the home of her granddaughter, Mrs E Feulling, Mareeba, in her 87h year, worked for the Red Cross Society throughout the last war and during the present war until two weeks before her death. She was actively associated with the Baptist Church and worked for the needy. Born in Chewton Victoria, Mrs Keid came to Queensland as a child and finally settled at Graceville in 1913. Formerly Miss Costello, she was married to Mr Charles G. Keid in 1874. Mr Keid died in 1925. Six of their sons served in the last war and four Messrs. Walter, William, Leonard and Edward Keid lost their lives. The surviving family includes a daughter, Mrs B Maggs (Kaban, N.Q). and two sons, Messers ,Henry Keid (N.Q) and Guy Keid (Brisbane). There are eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Large family
Mary Elizabeth Keid (William Keid’s mother and next of kin)- helped others

Source 3

Source Details

The Families. (n.d). Retrieved from

Notes

William Keid born – 9 June 1885- Pimpama, Qld
Parents- Charles, George Keid born- 5 June 1856- Brisbane, Died 23 January
Mary Elizabeth Dale born- 11 November 1857- Chewton Victoria, Died- 2 December 1941- Brisbane
Married- 25 May 1878- Brisbane
9 Siblings- Ethel Dale Keid, Edith Amy Keid, Henry Charles Keid, Leonard Keid, Norman Leslie Keid, Edward Alexander Keid, Robert Keid, Bennett Walter Keid, Harold Guy Keid

Extra Research Notes- William Keid

Source 1

Source Details

Australian War Memorial (AWM).(2014). Roll of Honour-William Keid.Retrieved from

Notes

William Keid's name is located at panel 3 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial

Source 2

Source Details

Australian Government, National Archives of Australia. (2014). Retrieved from

Notes

Enlistment paper-

Source 3

Source Details

The National Library of Australia.(n.d.).Obituary- Mrs M. E. Keid(Headline from- Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954)) Retrieved from

Newspaper reads- Mrs Mary Elizabeth Keid passed away at the residence of her granddaughter, Mrs. E. Feuling, Constance street, Mareeba, this afternoon. Deceased was 85 years of age and a native of Vitoria. She resided in Brisbane for the greater part of her life, and of late years had lived with her granddaughter in Mareeba. Up to a few weeks ago she was busily engaged in knitting comforts for the soldiers. She is survived by two sons (Mr. H. Keid, East Evelyn and Mr. Guy Keid. Government Survey Offic, Brisbane) and one daughter (Mrs Bert Maggs, East Evelyn). Four sons paid the supreme sacrifice in the Great War. The body is to be conveyed to Brisbane on Wednesday morning for the interment beside her husband in the Toowong cemetery.

Source 4

Source Details

Mike Bruce. (August 02, 2014). World War I centenary: The Keid family lost four son in less than 2½ years. Retrieved from

Notes

William Keid- TheKeids had lost second-eldest son Bill on June 23, 1915, at the bloody Quinn’s Post at Gallipoli. Later they would learn he’d died trying to save his mates, throwing his coat and then himself on to a grenade lobbed into their trench. Not until two years later would they learn their son had been buried at sea, 5km off the coast of Gallipoli. He was 29.

Photo- TheKeid family during World War One sent away six boys to war, and only two returned. After four of the brothers were killed, the two remaining brothers were brought back at the request of the Queensland premier. The boys settled on farms at the Atherton Tablelands. Keid brothers (top left to right): Henry (nickname Harry), Bill, Walter; and (bottom) Ted, Guy, and Leonard Keid. Pic Jamie HansonSource: News Corp Australia
Mary Keid(mother) lost four of her boys in less than 2½ years in the war
Photo- Peg Pearson, 91, is the daughter of surviving brother Harry Keid, and lives in Atherton in far north Queensland along with brother Walter, 78, and close to sister, Jane, 94, of Mareeba – Harry’s three surviving children
Peg has fond memories of “Grandma Keid” (Mary Keid), who moved to Mareeba from Brisbane to live with a granddaughter after the death of her husband, Charles, in 1926.
She was a very serene old lady, a remarkable person,” Peg recalls. “She was very quiet, she spoke her mind but always nicely, and was forever busy sewing, tatting, reading or preparing the vegetables.”

Guy is remembered as a high-spirited man with a larrikin streak, forever falling foul of military authority – resisting arrest, insulting officers, drunkenness and “using obscene language in the hearing of French womenfolk”.
Guy, who had the treacherous job of stretcher bearer at Gallipoli, was reportedly present when John Simpson, of Simpson and his donkey fame, died.
Guy returned to Brisbane, lived with his parents and resumed his studies to become a highly respected geologist, working for mining concerns and moving to Tasmania where he eventually became chief geologist. He and wife Kerry adopted one child, Peg, who had five children, the eldest of whom, Barry Guy Saltmarsh, 67, has cherished memories of “Poppy”.

Photo- Barry Saltmarsh holds his grandfather’s (Harold Guy Keid) 1915 ANZAC medal
Barry, from Burnie in northwest Tasmania, remembers a charismatic man, understated, mischievous, generous and who loved his food – and a drink. Barry fondly recalls the times helping his grandfather build a shack at Scamander on Tasmania’s east coast, of ice creams and cordial and sitting out under the stars chatting. Guy may have been the polar opposite to Harry, but both men lived the cliche of rarely mentioning the war. Barry was 24 when Poppy died, but says he never heard him speak of his war.

“I can honestly say I never heard him talk about the war, especially the situation with his brothers,” Barry says. “Mum (Peg) didn’t speak of it much either.”

The public grief of the Keid family was probably submerged beneath the collective grieving of Australia that dragged on until the next war. Keid was one name among the many of the 61,700 men who never came home. Or the families of the 155,000 wounded. Or those who were gassed and coughed and itched for the rest of their lives. Or those men who were never official casualties, but came back haunted and damaged.

Source 5

Source Details

Mike Bruce. (August 10, 2014). What this woman lost in war. Retrieved from

Photo- Jane Elizabeth Awallwood eldest daughter of Henry Keid at home in Mareeba
Four brothers killed, remaining two brought back as request from Qld premier- settled on farms at Atherton Tablelands
Peg Pearson-91- second eldest daughter of Harry Keid- lives in Atherton with brother Walter-78 and close to Jane Alwood-95 who lives in Mareeba

Photo- Walter Keid, son of Henry Keid, at his home outside Atherton North Queensland
William Keid (second eldest son)- died trying to save his mates, throwing his coat and then himself on to a grenade lobbed into their trench

Photo- Margaret Pearson (Peg), daughter of Henry Keid at home in Atherton

Photo- Walter Keid at the Evelyn Scrub War Memorial where his father’s plaque is on the memorial.

Photo- Walter Keid father’s plaque

Four Generation of Keid's Walter Keid (son of Henry ww1 digger), Noel Keid (son of Walter) Trysina Barter (daughter of Noel) with her son Zean Forbes 3 months

Reflection

The research journal for World War One was a very enjoyable and fascinating experience. I have learnt a lot of new and interesting information, found some great websites and have progressed with the historical inquiry research process. Not everything was perfect and I did have some difficulties. I have thought of some factors that I could have done differently, during the research. This research journal was an informative journey.

To help with the research, focus questions were provided. Before I chose a soldier, I needed to find background research on World War One. The soldier I decided to investigate was William Keid. Focus question one was: What are the biographic details of the soldier? Focus question two was: What is the soldier’s service history? Focus question three was: How did the soldier die and does he have any living relatives? These questions help to answer the key question: How does the Anzac legend tell the story of an individual Australian soldier during World War One? Using these focus questions, I conducted research.

Focus Question One

From focus question one I learnt basic biographic information about William Keid. I discovered his age, trade, height, weight, eye colour, school, religion and address at the time of his enlistment. I found out his service number, rank, unit, service and conflict. I also happened to find family member, which helped with focus question three. I grasped a lot of biographic details about William Keid.

Although I located a lot of information, I also had a few difficulties. At first I had trouble finding biographic details of the soldier. From source one, I only knew points about when he was in the war. As I progressed, I discovered more and more information. When I looked at source 4, I found out a lot more facts and was very happy.

From the information there were some interesting points and useful sources. I was amazed that I was able to find so many biographic details about the soldier. I thought that the enlistment papers were extremely interesting to look at. The Australian War Memorial and The AIF Project websites were very useful for finding biographic points. Finding so much intriguing information encouraged me to continue with the research.

Focus Question Two

For focus question two, I was required to find out about William Keid’s service history. I learnt from focus question one, that his unit was the Australian 2nd Light Horse Regiment. This unit is part is the 1st Light Horse Brigade. The representative pennant is a rectangle with a green triangle and a white triangle across the diagonal. Each member was required to wear a blue armband with the name of the unit in black lettering. The 2nd Light Horse Regiment boarded the ship called, HMAT A15 Star Of England, from Pinkenbar Wharf in Brisbane, Queensland on the 24 September, 1914. It arrived in Gallipoli, riding horses on the 12th of May, 1915. I found out some interesting history of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment.

I also had a few difficulties finding information about the 2nd Light Horse Regiment. When I was about to start researching for this focus question, I did not understand it as clearly as I would have liked. I asked Mrs Hall to explain and clarify it to me and then I understood it a lot better. I had trouble finding information at first and could only find very basic facts. Eventually, I found some sources and was able to write down notes. When gathering this information, I found that I was finding the same points about the 2nd Light Horse Regiment. I kept searching and was able to collect extra facts. Even though I had trouble at first, I still ended up finding great information. When researching William Keid’s unit, I had a few issues.