Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Peter Francis Keats and Katie Mary Keats, formally known as Underall, welcomed a son into the world. William Vivian Keats was born on the 12th of January 1890. William grew up in McRobies Gully, Hobart, Tasmania. He was a part of a big Anglican family. He was the second youngest child. He had brown hair, blue eyes and a tan complexion. He attended Macquarie State School. After he finished school William became a bank clerk. He had a humble upbringing with his dad being a cabinet maker. William (‘Bill’) enlisted for the war as a single man on the 15th of September 1914.

Bill embarked with the 12th Battalion, B company on 20 October 1914 on the HMAT A2 Geelong. He stopped in Albany, Western Australia briefly and then travelled to Egypt. Tel-El-Kebir, Egypt is where he continued his training for the Australian Imperial Force (‘AIF’). Bill was promoted to Corporal on the 9th of February 1915. His Brigade was the first Brigade to get to shore at ANZAC Cove. When William landed, he was hit by ‘spent’ shrapnel in his shoulder. He described his wound as “I thought someone had struck me with a sledgehammer”. William received two injuries while at Gallipoli one to his shoulder and the other to his right hand. William then was transported to the Heliopolis Hospital. Once William had recuperated, he was promoted to corporal on 4 August 1915 and then sergeant on 1 December 1915. He then was transferred to the 52nd Battalion on 1 March 1916.

The 52nd Battalion was part of the 13th Brigade and the 4th Australian Division. Before Williams’ first battle with his new Battalion, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant on 24 June 1916. The first battle William fought in with his new battalion was Mouquet Farm on 3 September 1916. After the battle Bill was promoted to Lieutenant on 28 August 1916. After a bleak winter, the Battalion moved to the Ypres section of Belgium. The Battalion fought in the Battle of Messines. It was during this battle that William suffered fatal wounds.

William died on the 10th of June 1917 during the Battle of Messines. He was killed in a shell hole while merging two trenches. He was shot by shrapnel in Lagnicourt. He was hit all over, but his main wound that caused his death was in his thigh. He succumbed to his wounds 20 minutes later. There was a cross taken up to his grave, and he was reportedly buried where he fell. His ‘boys’ described him as a ‘strict disciplinary’ but had such ‘splendid courage and leadership in the fighting line’, they felt they could trust him, and they would follow him anywhere. William showed ANZAC spirit on so many different occasions. William showed endurance and ingenuity when he referred to his wound to his right hand saying, “It was hard luck to get passed out so early, but I could not pick and choose.” This shows that he does not whine about his wound and hate that it happened to him. He also speaks of war as an opportunity and a learning experience by saying “I’m satisfied that when I thought I could realise what war was like, I was a long way out, one must go through it to find out.” He shows courage by saying he is still happy with his decision to join the war as he is not crumbling in the face of war and his injuries.

Another example is the mateship he displays. He talks very highly of the ‘ boys in blue’ (potential reference to the Navy) in the next excerpt of his letter; “There’s no doubt few people realize what “great lads” our tars are, they would give everything, even their life, to help the boys in Khaki, who, I am sure will never forget them after the war is over, and I daresay by that time, those people prejudiced against the boys in blue will realize what a wrong impression they have, and will in future give them what is due to them more credit in every respect.” This shows that he has great respect for these boys and values their mateship of putting their own lives on the line to get their men to shore. William shows a high degree of ANZAC spirit throughout his war experience, and that is why he is a true ANZAC.

"...Lieutenant William Vivian Keats, 52nd Battalion (52 Bn). A clerk from Hobart, Tasmania, he embarked with the 12th Battalion, B Company on 20 October 1914 aboard HMAT Geelong (A2). Keats served as a Lance Corporal at Gallipoli, where he was wounded in his right hand and hospitalised. It was for this injury he received his wound stripe, pictured on his left arm. Following his recovery he was promoted to Corporal and shortly afterwards, to the rank of Sergeant. In 1916 he was transferred to the 52 Bn and appointed to the rank of Lt. On 10 June 1917, whilst waiting for an attack at Messines Ridge, Lt Keats was seriously wounded by an enemy shell. Witness accounts on his service dossier state that he succumbed to his wounds twenty minutes later. Lt Keats is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)