KEELING, Samuel Harold

Harold Keeling was the son of Thomas Keeling of 36 St. Thomas Street, Netherton and attended Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Netherton. He was a regular soldier in the 2nd Battalion of the South Wales Borderers. They were stationed in India at the outbreak of war and returned to Britain to join the newly formed 29th Division which was preparing for the campaign against the Turkish Empire at Gallipoli. They landed on the 25th April at Cape Helles and established a base after a precarious journey to the shore. Attempts to break out at Krithia failed and stalemate ensued. Reinforcements arrived on the 6th August to achieve a breakthough but the Turkish forces were too strong. The cost of the August struggle was heavy and Private Samuel Harold Keeling was killed on the 21st August. He was 23 years of age and is commemorated on the Helles, Dudley and Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Netherton, Memorials.