Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Keith Ethelbert Grant was born on the 17th of May, 1891 at Kapunda. He moved to Adelaide as a child with his family and was educated at Sturt Street State School. His occupation as a young man was a Bank Clerk. His mother was called Elizabeth Grant and his father was Albert Grant, they lived on Henley Beach Road, Mile End. His religious domination was Church of England.

Keith Grant enlisted on the 3rd of December, 1914. On enlistment, 23 years and 5 months old. He was single so his mother was his nominated next of kin.

On the 11th of February 1915, he embarked to Egypt for further training, on the HMAT A10 Karoo. He was admitted to No 2 General Hospital with an illness on 10th April 1915 and remained there for two days.

Grant landed at Gallipoli 16 May, 1915, and fought at places like Walker’s Ridge and Russell’s top. On the 1st of June, 1915, he was promoted to Corporal, and about two months later, on the 30th of July, 1915 he was appointed Lance Sergeant.

Then on the 3rd of August, 1915, he was to be provisional sergeant, a temporary role of sergeant that could be taken on without completed training. However, On the 22nd of August, 1915, he was admitted to No.2 Stationary Hospital in Lemnos due to diarrhoea and admitted to 15th General hospital on the 6th of September. It was common to see, as the trenches and warzones were extremely unsanitary. On the 15th October, he was reverted back to Corporal and embarked for England six days later while suffering from enteric fever, a severe disease caused by very poor sanitation in the war zones. After his hospital treatment he was transferred to No 1 Command Depot to convalesce with lighter duties.

In May 1917 he trasnferred to 66th Battalion and marched out to Windmill Hill. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant 13th August 1917 and was on command. In September he was transferred to General Infantry Reinforcements and proceeded overseas to France the following month. He was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion. On the 1st January 1918 Grant was promoted to Lieutenant.

On the 28th of June 1918, Keith Grant was wounded in action during the fighting on the Western Front in Northern France during the Battle of La Becque and evacuated to Lines of Communication Hospital from the Field Medical Unit the next day. He was evacuated to the United Kingdom to recover.

While recovering in the UK Keith Grant married Ivy Kathleen Louise Hill, on the 13th of November 1918 at the Holy Trinity Church in Hilton next Gravesend. Keith Grant and his wife returned to Australia on the 9th of December, 1918, and his appointment was terminated on 4th of April, 1919.

In 1919, the couple had two sons named Donald Grant and Bruce Albert Grant, however, Donald only lived for a couple of weeks before he sadly passed. Bruce Albert Grant was born on the 27th of November, 1920 and worked in the Corporal Royal Air Force before he passed away due to a motorcycle accident.

Keith Grant’s life post-war was short, as he passed away on the 30th of September, 1921, at the age of 30. He was buried in Brinkworth Cemetery, South Australia.