KEIG, Robert Leslie
| Service Numbers: | 1533, 1533A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 April 1915, Enlisted Melbourne allocated to 10th Reinforcement’s 24th Battalion at Broadmeadows Camp Victoria on 21st May1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, 24 March 1888 |
| Home Town: | Williamstown (Vic), Hobsons Bay, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Williamstown State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Draper |
| Died: | Natural Causes , Horsham, Victoria, Australia, 30 July 1980, aged 92 years |
| Cemetery: |
Horsham Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Williamstown N.W.P. Church Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted Melbourne allocated to 10th Reinforcement’s 24th Battalion at Broadmeadows Camp Victoria on 21st May1915 | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1533A, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1533A, 24th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 20 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Embarked Alexandria disembarked Marseille France for duty with BEF | |
| 15 Jun 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Mouquet Farm | |
| 4 May 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second), Shrapnel wound Knee evacuated to CCS for treatment and convalescence | |
| 1 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, Headquarters Australian Imperial Force (AIF), Posted to No4 Officer Cadet School Oxford UK for course of instruction | |
| 19 Dec 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the AIF and taken on Strength of the 24th Battalion in the field Belgium | |
| 19 Apr 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Sep 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1533, 24th Infantry Battalion, Mont St Quentin / Peronne | |
| 3 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1533A, 24th Infantry Battalion, Appointment terminated in the AIF Discharged 3MD Melbourne |
ROBERT LESLIE KEIG
The stories behind the faces:
Lieutenant Robert Leslie Keig 1533 AIF / V353954 MILITIA WW2
Robert Keig was born in Williamstown Victoria and was a 25 year old single draper when he enlisted in the AIF in early April 1915. He was a member of the 1st Reinforcements for the 24th Battalion, which departed Australia at around the same time as the main battalion. He served on Gallipoli and was promoted to Temporary Corporal shortly after the battalion was withdrawn from the peninsula.
He would serve at Pozieres where he would be promoted to Temporary Sergeant (Without pay) in early August, confirmed the following month. In March 1917 he was a Temporary Company Sergeant Major, but he was reverted to Sergeant the following month on the return of the incumbent CSM. At the battle of Bullecourt, Robert was slightly wounded, returning to the battalion the following week.
In August 1917 Robert was selected for a commission and he posted to a Cadet Training Battalion for a course of instruction, on completion of which he returned to the 24th as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was promoted to Lieutenant in March 1918, serving with the battalion until the end of the war. Robert returned to Australia in June 1919, and his appointment was terminated in the September. He returned to live in Williamstown Victoria and in 1921 he married Constance Stebbing.
The couple would have a son, Robert Hal Keig, who would serve as a pilot in the RAAF in WW2 discharging as a Flying Officer. Between the wars he worked as a salesman in Melbourne. In WW2 Robert served as a member of the Volunteer Defence Corps in the Australian Militia in his previous rank of Lieutenant. Robert and Constance would later move to Horsham.
Constance passed away in 1979 and Robert Keig in Ballarat in 1980 at the age of 91
Submitted 11 January 2026 by Anthony Vine
Biography contributed by Pam Hamilton
Lieutenant Robert Leslie Keig, late of Williamstown, Newport and Horsham Victoria.
Brother of 4125 Private Norman Rodger Keig 23rd Battalion AIF late of Williamstown Victoria.