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William’s father, also known as William Henry Keon, was London born in Middlesex but came to Australia to live. He was a seaman who had served for five years in the Ninth Queen Royal Lancers. With the Great War erupting in Europe, William Snr enlisted to serve in WWI, being given the number 62520 in the 6th General Reinforcements. He enlisted in April ’14. He had married Marion Elizabeth James from Alberton (but on his papers had given her name as Maryann). Whilst he was serving his son, William Henry John (Bill) was born on the 18th August 1918 in Adelaide His birth was proudly announced in the Advertiser. ‘KEON.-On The 18th August, at Sirius Private Hospital, Alberton, the wife of Corporal W.H. Keon, Port-road, Alberton a son (William Henry John). Both well.
William Snr was discharged five months later in January ’19 with the family then living in Alberton. He and Marion had five children, Rosie, Val, William, Fred, and Marion. William worked on the S.S. Karatta which usually sailed between Port Adelaide and Kingscote, Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula ports. This vessel was the largest of five, weighing 553 tons gross and the earliest to arrive in SA in 1907.
The children attended the Alberton school in Queenstown and Bill also became a Boy Scout with the local Troop, established by British William Baden Powell after WWI. The movement then quickly becoming popular in Australia. When Bill was thirteen his 48-year-old father, William, died in 1931. The family placed a tribute to him in the Advertiser: ‘KEON.—On the 15th April, William Henry Keon, late S.S. Karatta, dearly loved husband of Marion, loving father of Rosie, Val, William, Fred, and Marion. The chain is getting shorter, another link has gone.’
He was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery, but the family continued to grieve his loss. Advertiser Saturday 15 April 1933, KEON. (Will).—A tribute of loving memory to our dear son-in-law, passed away on the 15th April 1931.—Always remembered by F. and B. James and family. Port road, Alberton. KEON.—In fond memory of our dear brother-in-law. "Will," passed away on the 15th April. 1931. "Fond memories ding." —Always remembered by Maude and Tom. KEON.—William Henry, dearly loved husband of Marlon, who passed away two years ago today. Though days are dark and friends are few, Fond memories still linger, dear Will, of you. KEON.—A tribute of love to our dear daddy. We hear no sound of his loved voice, No sound of his footsteps near: Only our hearts' sad longing For the daddy we loved so dear.’
Post-school Bill found employment as a labourer with Walter and Morris, in their Sarnia Timber Yard at Port Adelaide. At the time, greater emphasis was on very minor crimes, with Will being unfortunate to receive a fine of 5/. with 10/ costs for not having a light on his motor cycle in April ‘41. At the time, another young man was also fined for failing to have his hands on the handle bars of his own bike. They were very different eras.
Soon after, with WWII erupting, 22-year-old Bill, who had served in the Militia with the 43rd Battalion as A544364, followed the lead of his own father and also enlisted on the 7th July, 1941 and given the number SX13584. He was soon allocated to the 2/48th Battalion as part of the fifth reinforcements. He embarked mid-September, arriving in the Middle East on the 20th October. Unfortunately, with so many travelling together, it was inevitable that Bill contracted tonsilitis and had a few days in the ship’s hospital. Early the following year, Bill then contracted a high fever called Pyrexia of Unknown Origin and again was hospitalised, this time for over a week. Stomach problems also re-occurred several times.
Soon after his return to the 2/48th on the 31st October, ’42, Bill received a gunshot wound to his left thigh and neck during the fierce fighting in the massive assault to take Trig 29. Described in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ by John Glenn that day was the ‘bloodiest fighting in the history of the 2/48th Battalion’ with ‘only forty-one weary troops remaining in the field’ that night was pronounced as the climax of the Alamein Battle. Glenn’s final summing up was ‘Truly it can be said of these men, “They fought themselves and their enemy to a standstill until flesh and blood could stand no more, then they went on fighting.” ‘When next the sun drove away those shadows from the desert, death would have reaped a rich harvest of gallant men.’ This was all that remained of these proud Rats of Tobruk. In total 48 men from the 2/48th lost their lives in this battle. In added high praise about those who tended the wounded and collected those killed in action “It says much for them that not one man was missing in their search over the four thousand yards from Trig 29 to the Blockhouse, or in the attack of 3,600 yards to Ring Contour 25.” An horrific battle for the proud and very brave 2/48th Battalion.
A soldier, describing the action to a war correspondent, stated: “On the night of October 30-31 our job was to cut west across Thompson’s Post, take the railway, straddle the coast road, and then work back cleaning up enemy pockets and strong posts. We straddled the road all right, and then started to work east, D Company cleaning up between the road and the sea. It was easy at first, but then we ran into real opposition. We saw a couple of lights shoot up from a there were two humps, one on the left and one on the right, with a saddle between. We got within 50 yards and then they opened fire—and how!”
Back home early in November, his mother Marion was one of three relatives who received news of their sons injuries. ‘Mrs. Marion Keon has been advised that her son, Pte. Bill Keon (A.I.F.) has been wounded in action in Egypt. He enlisted in June, 1941, and went overseas in September the same year. Before enlisting he was employed by Walter and Morris, Port Adelaide.
The Chronicle gave details early in December of several of Bill’s fellow soldiers from the 2/48th being killed or injured. They were ‘Killed In Action.— SX8385 Pte. George S. R. Fowler, Prospect; SX8344 Cpl. Ronald M. Ide, Naracoorte; SX7695 Pte. Ernest S. J. Schubert, Mt. Gambier; SX8204 Pte. Edwin W. Vivian, Mannum; SX6567 Pte W. Langstreth, Torrensville. Killed Accidentally. SX9308 Pte. Lyndsay H C. Graetz, Murray Bridge. Wounded In Action — SX13584 Pte. William H. J. Keon, New Queenstown; SX7615 A/Cpl. Albert T. King, Minlaton; SX7056 L/Sgt. Francis. B. Pearson. Angle Vale. Missing, Believed Killed. — SX11785 Pte John O. Evans. Arno Bay.
Bill continued to be treated for these wounds but while doing so received several fines over February ’43 for being absent without leave for three hours, not having his pay book with him and finally for ‘creating a disturbance in the Monopol Hotel in Tel Aviv. A sobering fine of 10 days’ pay was imposed. and in March the following year ’43 returned to Australia via Freemantle on a hospital ship. From Melbourne he travelled back to Adelaide on a hospital train. He was finally discharged for duty in June but immediately was charged for failing to appear at parade and fined a hefty 2pound.
Training in Queensland followed with Bill then heading to New guinea to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of Queensland. He arrived in Milne Bay in September ’43. His Middle East experience contributed to his promotion to Lance Corporal in November but unfortunately he again experienced an extremely high temperature followed by malaria resulting in treatment by field ambulance. Several bouts of malaria continued to flair over the following weeks, then dengue fever in December ‘43.
In February the following year, Bill left from Port Moresby, returning to Queensland. Inevitably, th gunshot wounds he had received to his neck and thigh continued to cause nerve damage complications and the need for on-going treatment. By August ’44 he reverted to Private and a new role with the Australian Works Company in Queensland before he was able to return to south Australia in March ’45.
Home on leave, Bill married Jessie Irene McKay on the 21st March ’45 McKAY—KEON.—The marriage of Jessie, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. McKay, of Ottaway, to Pte. William (ATF, ret.), elder son of Mrs. and the late Mr. W. Keon. of New Queenstown. will be solemnised at St. Paul's Church. Port Adelaide. February 21. at 6.15 p.m. with the two living in New Queenstown.
Unfortunately, back in Queensland, Bill sustained a further injury with a burn to his left foot in June which became infected and then required treatment at an orthopaedic hospital. He was finally discharged on the 16th November ’45. He and Jessie welcomed a daughter, Julie Margaret, in September, ’52.
Aged 68, Bill died on the 14th January 1988 and was initially buried in the Enfield Memorial Park Cemetery before his cremated remains were returned to his family.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.