Percy Francis Keenan

Western Mail 29 Jun 1917 page 19.
Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known
Place of Birth	Albany, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	22 years, 6 months
Description	5'8½" (1.m) tall; weight 149 lbs (kg); fresh complexion, brown eyes, brown hair. Bullet wound left ankle.
Occupation	timber worker
Religion	Roman Catholic
Address	Whittaker's Mill, North Dandalup, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr George Francis Keenan
Military Information
Reg Number	427
Date of Enlistment	27 Oct 1914 & 17 Jan 1917
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	10th Light Horse, C Squadron / 3rd Light Horse Brigade, NZ & Australian Division
Date of Embarkation	17 Feb 1915 - 21 Mar 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A52 Surada
Date of Return	17 Jul 1916 - 17 Aug 1916
Ship Returned On	HMAT A49 Seang Choon
Fate	Wounded in Action 29 Aug 1915, Hill 60, Gallipoli, Turkey Returned to Australia
Monument	not known
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Previous service with 10th Light Horse regiment - discharged permanently unfit.

War Service

Embarked in Alexandria for Gallipoli on 16 May 1915.

On 29 Aug 1915 he received a gun shot wound to his left ankle, seen by the 16th Casualty Clearing Station on Anzac, he was shipped first to the 25th Casualty Clearing Station on Imbros Island on 30 Aug 1915 and then via HMT Huntsend previously known as SS Lutzow to hospital in Malta on 6 Sep 1915, and finally on to the 1st Southern General Hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham on 19 Sep 1915.

Recovered, he was sent back to Alexandria in Egypt on the HMT Kingstonian, arriving there on 5 Mar 1916. On 9 Mar 1916 he was admitted to the 4th Australian Auxiliary Hospital with scabies, before being released on 4 Apr 1916, for a short period with the Anzac Provost Corps, before returning to the 10th Light Horse Regiment on 9 Jul 1916.

Hospitalised again on 13 Jul 1916 in the 3rd Australian General Hospital with Octitis Media and deafness, with some vertigo. It was decided to send him home to Australia.

Original discharge carried out at the 5th Military District on 2 Oct 1916.

However, on 17 Jan 1917 he re-enlisted, and was initially allotted to the 8th reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion. Sent to the Rockingham camp on 9 Mar 1917, he began to have some discipline issues.

Charged with being drunk on 15 Apr 1917 at Rockingham, Percy was fined 2/6d (25 cents). His next brush with Military Law was on 15 Jun 1917 when he had overstayed leave from 12pm 13 Jun 1917 until 10:00pm 14 Jun 1917. Costing him a 5/- fine and one days pay. On 11 Jul 1917 he was charged with overstaying leave from midnight 11 Jul 1917 until 9:00am 10 Sep 1917, for which he was fined £2 and placed in detention for 21 days. On 11 Jul 1917 he was charged with Breaking away from Guard whilst under arrest, and AWOL from 7:30pm 12 Sep 1917 until 6:30 am 13 Sep 1917. That 11 hours of 'freedom' cost him another 168 hours (1 week) in detention with the forfeit of 12 days pay.

In October back at Blackboy Hill camp, he was allocated to the 27th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion, but a fortnight later he was discharged by the 5th Military District, with his records marked NOT due to misconduct. (Services no longer required).

Post War

In 1920 Percy is at the No2 State Mill at Dwellingup.

On file dated 5 Jun 1952 is a Licence for change of surname from Keenan to Herbert for Graham Francis Herbert and Trevor John Herbert (b. 1 Dec 1946 in Kalgoorlie) then living at 16 Ramsay Terrace, Donnybrook.

Notes

While Percy falls just outside our area of interest, he is not listed on either the Gosnells RSL or Gosnells Shire Honor Rolls.