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William Robert Keay

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Portrait, standing (photo supplied by R Beddows) - No known copyright restrictions

Portrait, standing (photo supplied by R Beddows) - No known copyright restrictions

Identity

  • Title
  • Forenames
    William Robert AWMM
  • Surname
    Keay AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Bob AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 25717 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Pre 21 May 1916 AWMM c/o Herekino Post Office, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    William Robert Keay (father), Post-office, Herekino, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 23 September 1916 AWMM Single AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 21 May 1916 AWMM
    Age 29 AWMM
    Farmer/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    • Height, Unknown Period AWMM
      6.5 feet AWMM
    • Weight, Unknown Period AWMM
      12 stone AWMM
    • Eye colour, Unknown Period AWMM
      Brown AWMM
    • Hair colour, Unknown Period AWMM
      Dark AWMM
    • Complexion, Unknown Period AWMM
      Dark AWMM
    • Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWI AWMM
      Featherston Hospital, NZ 9 July - 24 July 1916 German Measles AWMM
    • Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWI AWMM
      7 General Hospital, St Omer, France 5 February - 25 February 1917 Mumps AWMM
    • Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • David Keay was the son of William Robert and Ellen Keay nee Steele, of Herekino.

    Born at Fairlie, New Zealand. He lived and worked on the family farm "Sedgley" at Herekino and volunteered for service.

    William Robert Keay fought in, and survived, the Battle of Messines but was killed two months later by a shell whilst in the trenches to the South East of the Messines sector.

    Two brothers served in WW1, David Keay (26/831) and William Keay (25717) both were killed.

    Commonwealth War Graves Commission gives William Keay's mother's name as Ellen Steele Keay. Steele was Mrs Keay's maiden name.

    Next of Kin: Mr W. R. Keay, Glenfield, Auckland (Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1914-1918 (Volume 1)) AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    8 August 1917 AWMM
    Age 30 AWMM
    YpresBelgium AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium AWMM III. C. 25. AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Herekino War Memorial, Kaitaia-Awaroa Road, Northland, New Zealand AWMM
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Macdonald, L. (1978). Passchendaele : the story of the third Battle of Ypres 1917. London : Penguin Books. AWMM
    • Harper, G. (2000). Massacre at Passchendaele : the New Zealand story. Auckland, N.Z.: HarperCollins. AWMM
    • Military Personnel file AWMM
    • New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      41: 35 AWMM
    • Armoury Cenotaph File AWMM
      See 'The Pakeha', ship's newspaper, October 1916, of the 17th Reinforcements of the NZEF. Copy in the Armoury Vertical File. AWMM
    • New Zealand. Army (c.1920). A further list of the names of ex-members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force suffering permanent disability from 20% to 100% : compiled from returns supplied by the Commissioner of Pensions, in respect to: a) Permanent war pensions; and from returns supplied by the Director-General of Medical Services, regarding: b) discharged hospital patients; assessed as suffering permanent disability, and who are whilst in hospital, receiving full pensions. New Zealand. Director-General of Medical Services. AWMM
    • Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications AWMM
      Vol. 2: Includes portrait AWMM
    • The Fields of Remembrance Trust: Brothers Field, Auckland Museum (Armistice, 2018) AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2. AWMM

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.

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