William Keedwell
Memorial: Olveston
Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 10771
Parents: Thomas and Sarah Keedwell
Home address: Shaymoor Lane, Pilning
Date of birth: 1894
Place of birth: Alveston, Glos
Date of death: 08/08/1915
Buried/Commemorated at: Helles Memorial (Panel 102 to 105), Turkey
Age: 21
Further information:
William was the son of Thomas and Sarah Keedwell. William’s father was born in Alveston while his mother came from Olveston. By 1891 they were living in Shaymoor Lane, Pilning with their first child Laura who was nine when her brother William was born. Thomas worked in the brickyard furnaces, but by the time of the Great War, he had died leaving only his widow living in Olveston
At the age of 19, William went to Bristol to enlist in the Gloucestershire Regiment and was allocated to the 7th Battalion who were called to go into action at Gallipoli. At the beginning of August 1915 the Battalion left Lemnos for Anzac Cove and for the next two days they sheltered in Rest Gully, moving to Aghyl Dere on the 6th and next day reinforcing the New Zealand Battalion who had just lost 27 men. The 8th of August became known as the Battle of Sari Bair. The Battalion stood to arms at 3.00am forming the left flank of the first line. The advance started at 4.15am. The diary records that a later, and therefore lighter, start would have been ordered if it had been realised how difficult the terrain was, they had to proceed in file along a mule track with dug-outs on either side. A short while after starting the advance, the two left platoons came under machine-gun fire from the left and were practically wiped out. The advance continued for some distance when the ground began to fall away steeply which, combined with the machine-gun fire, caused the Company to wheel into file. A New Zealand staff officer ordered the Companies to move to the right and reported that the Wellington Battalion had taken Chanak Bair hill. This brought the Glosters advancing towards Sazli Beit Dere which they crossed. The Turks were now firing from the right of the line, so intense was it that there was no time for the men to entrench themselves more than six inches. Nevertheless, the line held. Every officer and senior NCO of the 7th Battalion was either killed or wounded and groups of men were being commanded by junior NCOs or privates. The Battalion was relieved at dusk, by which time 45 had been killed, of which William Keedwell was one, 190 were missing and 115 were wounded
William’s sacrifice is recorded on the Helles Memorial, which stands some hundred feet high on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsular where it can be seen by ships passing through the Dardanelles
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Forces War Records and CWGC