Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery | XXX. B. 15. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 26B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross British War Medal Victory Medal | ||
Family :
Son of Alfred and Louisa Emily Keating (nee Charlton). Native of Sydenham, London.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 9th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders |
| Action : The Final Advance in Flanders |
28 September - 11 November 1918. As the pressure mounted in other sectors the opportunity was seized to escape the confines of the Ypres Salient. Within five days the British Second Army had pushed the Germans back over the 1917 battlefield and were advancing on Courtrai. After action at Courtrai the advance continued into Belgium until the Armistice on 11th November.
Detail :
2nd Kimberley Regiment, South African Forces, serving in the German South West Africa campaigns.
Captain, 9th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders.
Military Cross Citation: London Gazette 18th July, 1917 "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On two separate occasions he carried out a most difficult reconnaissance under very heavy fire in advance of our front line in order to enable fresh trenches to be constructed. The task was successfully accomplished entirely owing to his skilful use of ground and fearless leadership in the construction of the work."
His death was notified through the newspapers, one account in the Hampshire Telegraph reporting on the 18th October, 1918:
"DEATH OF CAPT. KEATING, M.C.- The death has taken place in France from pneumonia of Capt. W.B. Keating, M.C., Seaforth Highlanders, brother of Md. L. C. Keating, Headmaster of the Gosport Secondary School. Deceased was 38 years of age, and the youngest son of the late Mr. Alfred Keating and Mrs. Keating, of Kimberley, S. Africa. He went through all the big campaigns and gained his M.C. at Arras. The gallant officer was admitted to the 67th Casualty Clearing Station, France, on the morning of Oct. 11th, and died the same evening. He was originally in the electrical department of the De Beers Mines, Kimberley, and on the outbreak of war joined the 2nd Kimberley Regt., and went through the German South-West African Campaigns. He subsequently left Kimberley for England, and obtained his commission in the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment in Decemeber, 1915. He transferred to the Seaforth Highlanders, and was immediately sent to France where he had been ever since. He was employed mainly on the Arras-Ypres front, and was wounded about two months ago."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Richard Giddy No. 1574 E.C. | South Africa (Central) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
3rd November 1904 | 2nd February 1905 | 2nd March 1905 |
Past Master
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley