Keating Bernard P 1890

Bernard Phillip Keating

 

189o-1968

Father Nm:James Keating b. Oct 12 1862 Brighton Sussex Death: Jan 11 1947

Mother Nm: Louisa Loire Keating (born Moppett) 1863 – 1906

Marriage Dt: Q1 1923 Brighton to Marjorie Blencowe

K comments:
Spouse comments: Marjorie Patricia Blencowe (b. 23 Feb 1904, d. Q2 1997)

Children:

1. Marjorie A Keating – I5457 (b. 10 Jul 1923)
2. Judith P Keating – I6695 (b. 29 May 1938)

 

Born 1890

14 Jun 1890 Brighton

1901 Census

2 Down Terrace, Brighton

Father: James Keating
Mother: Louisa Keating
Louisa E Keating
James S Keating
Walter F Keating
Leo C Keating
Kathleen M Keating
Nora J Keating
Harold J Keating

1911 CENSUS

140. Caversham Road., Reading a visitor occupation Bodega Waiter

WW1

Bernard P Keating Private 4674, 1st Bn Rifle Brigade , Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own)

Synopsis

Bernards time with the Rifle Brigade was short mobilized on the 5th August 1914 19 days later he took part in the first encounter with the advancing German Army coming from the rout at Mons. It appears all the evidence points to his capture at this encounter at Cattenieres ,France also often referred to as the Le Cateau battle. .He has 3 International Red Cross POW records thay indicate capture at Mons or Cambria and I note that this period of encounter was very much seen as the ” the Retreat from Mons ” which explains that place name used. Cambria  (Cambrai) is the other place of capture and close (23kms ) to Le Cateau Cambresis. Bernard was taken away to German POW camps, eventually to Buchenwald Camp some 700 kms to the East in deep German territory. I have not yet found the repatriation records so my assumption is it was late 1918 before he returned to England .

1914

• 5th August 1914, Received orders to mobilize
• 6-9th August 1914, Mobilization
• 10 – 17 th August 1914, Training at Colchester
• 18th August, 4th Division concentrated at Harrow
• 22nd August 1914, Battalion left Harrow by train 2.34am and embarked Southampton in S.S. Cestrian and arrived at Havre 10pm same night. Strength 24 Ofiicers, 964 other ranks.
• 23rd August, Disembarked at 3.20am Marched to No3 Rest Camp on heights above Havre.
• 26th August Battle of Le Cateau.    Captured and taken POW.

Note: Diary Entry Battle of August 26th (1914)Position of Battalion at daybreak on the 26th. Battalion less C Coy on track on track (sic) leading N.W. from FONTAINE – AU – PIRE.

C Company on Outposts at CATTENIERES.

About 5.00 am the Outposts saw German Cavalry and Artillery moving towards CATTENIERES. The Brigade was “standing to arms” and was ordered to retire and take up a position on the hill at CARRIERES just S.W. of FONTAINE – AU – PIRE covered by the R.B. General direction of retirement was to be on HAUCOURT.

The Battalion extended and lined the ridge just N. of the track where they had bivouacked.

The Germans opened their attack with Artillery and except for a few Cavalry near the village no other hostile troops came into action at first.

When the remainder of the Brigade and the baggage was clear the Battalion began to retire slowly, the left going back first and covering the retirement of he right companies. The retirement was carried out slowly and methodically under shellfire and rifle fire; the enemy sending troops onto the ridge vacated by our men as soon as they were clear.

The Battalion closed in a sunken road running E & W across the hill at CARRIERS with I Coy on their left in the track running N & S across the hill. Here the Battalion was at first in reserve, but owing to other troops being driven back from north side of hill, C Coy were sent forward to occupy the position and the Battalion was in the firing line.

The field of fire was very small and we could do nothing but lie still and be shelled most of the time.

This was the position from about 8.20 am to about 2.45 pm with the S.L.I., who had retired behind the railway, and the HANTS and E. LANCS mostly in reserve just S. of the bridge over the railway, but with about 2 companies each more or less engaged in the firing line W of the track running N & S across the railway and hill.

Very few German Infantry showed themselves and they appeared unwilling to come on, but the hill was swept with a heavy fire from field guns and Machine Guns.

About 2.45 p.m. the Brigade was ordered to retire on LIGNY; HANTS and E. LANCS first, followed by S.L.I. and R.B. I Coy were first of R.B. ordered back & retired down lane and across railway track. By this time the HANTS and E. LANCS had started up the hill towards LIGNY and the Germans realising what was happening redoubled their fire.

The other three Coys then retired more or less at the same time and suffered heavily from shell and rifle fire, enfilade fire from the direction of FONTAINE – AU – PIRE being especially troublesome. The Church at LIGNY was given as a rendezvous and shortly after arrival there the enemy were reported in the N.E. end of the village.

The Battalion was now split up. The majority under Lieut. Col. Biddulph marched via CAULLERY and took up a covering position at SELVIGNY afterwards moving via MALINCOURT – LE CATELET where there was a long halt – VENDHUILLE –TEMPLEUX – HESBECOURT arriving there about 10.00 a.m. 27th

Meanwhile Captains Nugent, Prittie and Brownlow had collected about 100 men at the Church at LIGNY and starting out met the B.G.C. (Brigadier General Commanding?) with about 700 men belonging to other regiments of the Brigade. They marched S.W. but getting blocked by 3rd Division, turned and spent the night at SELVIGNY. Left there 2.00 a.m. 27th and marched via BEAUREVOIR to NAUROY which was reached at 5.30 a.m. They were shelled out and left at 10.30 a.m. and after unsuccessfully trying to engage the guns marched via BELLICOURT to BILLERET where the 3rd Div. detached a battery and two Btns. to deal with their pursuers who then drew off. The party then marched via LE VERGUIER – VENDELLES – SAYECOURT- CAULANCOURT to TERTRY where they rejoined the Battalion on the march on the night 27th/28th.

1914 -1918

Prison Camps in order of IRCC POW records

 

Prison Camp Doeberitz

• Aug-September.  Bernard shortly after capture most likely taken to his first camp in Berlin by rail truck.

A story of Walter Kimberley 1884-1917  from the Imperial War Museum explains how POWs were transported and initially treated on there way to Doebritz Camp

Walter, along with the other prisoners were then marched from Asvert to Mons under German guard. As if this was not enough, during the march the men were continually hit with sticks, apples, stones and bricks by the German soldiers; they had little or no food and slept in the open fields. Comfort taken away What few bits of comfort Walter had left to him were also taken away. By Mons station, Walter had been relinquished of his top coat. From here, Walter left by train (a cattle truck) bound for Doberitz Camp, Germany. He arrived on 15th September 1914; the journey had taken 4 days, with no food and little water. On arrival the POWs were made to sleep in tents – 300 to 400 men in each tent. They got very cold; they had no overcoats and only one blanket was supplied for each man. Worse, the men were chased out of their tents by bayonets each morning, clearly not a relaxing experience! Kimberley also recounts how some men were tied to a pole for four or five hours at a spell. Despite this treatment, a refrain throughout Kimberley’s account when speaking of the commanders at the camp is ‘I have nothing against them personally.’ Eventually the POWs were moved into huts. This was an improvement; Walter was glad of the stove for warmth, and washrooms that improved the sanitation issues of his earlier journey. Unfortunately the food did not improve, it got worse. half a loaf of bread a day dwindled to a fifth, there was coffee in the morning and soup mid-morning, which in Walters words “was not fit for pigs’, being simply dirty water with a few potatoes in it. But they drank it, otherwise they would have starved. Despite the conditions, there were still echoes of his pre-war life in camp, which must have brought comfort to somebody like Walter with a sporting pedigree. Although life in camp was tough, they were allowed to play football and cricket, there was a makeshift church for services, which was also used as a theatre. Letters and food parcels arrived from home which must have been a real boost in morale. Walter’s future, however, was bleak

IRCC Record

Full Name Keating, Bernard
British & Commonwealth Registers Reference PA#
Regiment Rifle Brigade  Rank Private
Prison Camp Doeberitz
Place of Capture [Place of capture not stated or unclear]
Date of Capture 1914
Page Url https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/791739/698/73/
Page Number PA 73

Cottbus POW Camp

• Sometime during his incarceration, Bernard was transferred to Cottbus POW Camp south of Berlin

  

  

  From Robert Bueschel at the Great war forum appears to be the Camp staff with Commanders in the front row with swords

1918

First name(s) Bernard Keating
Birth year 1890 Birth date 07 Oct 1890
Birth place Brighton
Service number –
Rank Private
Rank as transcribed Gem Regiment R R D
Capture year 1918 Capture date 23 Aug 1914 comment date is wrong this landing in France date of 1st Bn RB
Capture location Mons generalised term for capture location
Country –Prison camp Brandenburg
Previous camp Merzdorl Lay This appears to be Cottbus POW camp in another form see maps of Cottbus above
Next of kin last name Keating
Document details Prisoners of the First World War, the International Committee of the Red Cross
Page number 26158
Conflict World War 1
Record set Prisoners Of War 1715-1945
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory First World War
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

1918

• 6 February. Prison camp Brandenburg
• First name(s) Bernard Keating
  Birth year 1890
  Birth date 07 Oct 1890
  Birth place Brighlon
  Service number –
  Rank Private Rank as transcribed Gem
  Regiment R Bde
  Year 1918
  Capture date 26 Aug 1914
  Capture location Cambria
  Prison camp Brandenburg A/H
  Previous camp Cottbus
  Next of kin last name Keating
  Document details Prisoners of the First World War, the International Committee of the Red Cross
  Page number 19462
  Conflict World War 1
  Record set Prisoners Of War 1715-1945
  Category Military, armed forces & conflict
  Subcategory First World War
  Collections from Great Britain, UK None
• 23 March. Prison camp Brandenburg

 

1919

Medals

Sources

1. 1. Find My Past  and BFA database

After the War

1939 Census

details

Death 1968

England & Wales, Death Index, 1837-2005
Death date: Oct-Nov-Dec 1968
Death place: Brighton, Sussex, England
Birth date: Circa 1890

Gallery

There are service records in the National archives for this person they can be viewed and download from their website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Locations Bernard was known to have been between 1914 and 1918

Le Cateau Cambresis France – Doeberitz POW camp – Cottbus POW Camp Germany – Buchenwald POW Camp Germany.