The Keep Family 
The Keep Family
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Keeps Worldwide
The DNA Project 
Military Personal Experiences
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Lance Corporal Joseph G. Keep, son of William and Rose Keep of 227, Haydons Road, Wimbledon, was a regular soldier and fought with the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment at Mons and survived the war.  He was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), being gazetted on 10 March 1916.  Joseph was the elder brother of Private George Henry Keep, and Private Robert Albert William Keep.  George was born in Wimbledon during 1898 and killed on 28 September 1915, aged 19.  He enlisted in Kingston and joined 13th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. George was lost in action at Loos after being in France for just three weeks.  He left a wife E. Keep (nee Green), and a three month old son. They lived at 80, Lavender Avenue, London Road, Mitcham, Surrey.  He is commemorated at the War Memorial on the Lower Green, Mitcham, South London, and at the Loos Memorial.  Robert was in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, and killed on 20 January 1918 aged 18 whilst on board the HMS Louvain, which was torpedoed by an enemy submarine.  He is commemorated at The Chatham Naval Memorial reference 30 

Saddler/Gunner Frederick George Keep served in the Royal Horse Artillery, see picture of Frederick on his horse on the right. He was a member of the British Expeditionary Force and survived the war.  His brother was Private William Henry Keep of the West Kent Regiment, who was taken Prisoner of War.  William is indicated by the arrow on the picture below. 

Frederick’s son was Private Frederick George Keep, who was discharged having made a false statement of age on enlistment.  He gave his age as 19 when he was only 17.  He served from 18 November 1914 to 27 March 1915.  Frederick senior’s cousin, Sapper Herbert Edward Keep, served with the Royal Engineers. 

Private William Palmer Keep of the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force was drafted under the Military Service Act 1917 on 7 May 1918 at Calgary, Alberta. His twin brother, Trooper John Courtier Keep, enlisted on 12 January 1915 at Red Deer, Alberta, and joined the 12th Canadian Mounted Rifles. 

 

Private Albert Senior Keep, of the 40th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force Regiment, enlisted at Claremont Tasmania on 6 March 1916.  He was discharged medically on 21 November 1916 suffering from gastric ulcer and gastric problems.  His brother, Private Wesley Simmons Keep, served with the 15th Infantry Battalion, 20th Reinforcement.  He enlisted on 3 January 1916 at Rockhampton, Queensland, and embarked on 7 September 1916 from Brisbane, Queensland, on the HMAT Clan McGillivray.  Wesley was admitted to the 3rd Australian General Hospital on 24 February 1917 suffering from frostbite of his feet, and finally returned to Australia on 10 May 1919 

Brothers in Arms, Continued
Joseph G. Keep
George Henry Keep
Robert Albert William Keep
Frederick George Keep
William Henry Keep
George Keep
Herbert Edward Keep
William Palmer Keep
John Courtier Keep
Albert Keep
Wesly Simmons Keep
 Distinguished Conduct Medal
Lance Corporal Joseph G. Keep
* * * * *
Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
Arthur MacArthur III
Douglas MacArthur 

Arthur MacArthur, Jr. was a 7th generation descendant of John Keep of Longmeadow, grandson of Olive Keep and great-grandson of John Keep, b 29 Sept 1753, a Revolutionary War veteran.

 

He was the father of Captain Arthur MacArthur III, U. S. Navy, and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, U. S. Army.

 

Arthur  entered the service in the American Civil War, and served at Chickamauga, Stones River, Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign, and Franklin.

 

At Missionary Ridge, the 24th Wisconsin Infantry advanced on the entrenched Confederate soldiers.  An 18-year old First Lieutenant named Arthur MacArthur, Jr., led the unit carrying the colors.   The two men carrying the colors both fell, the first to a bayonet and the second to a cannon ball.  Wounded, Arthur seized the colors himself and raised the battle-scarred flag high, turned to his troops with the shout "On Wisconsin!" and went forward up the ridge.  At the summit, he planted the flag in the ground.  The advancing soldiers saw their flag, and they rushed forward, winning the victory at Missionary Ridge.  For this, Arthur MacArthur Jr. was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

  

He served in the Spanish American War in the Philippines in 1898 and retired as Commander of the Pacific Division in 1909 while the highest ranking officer in the U. S. Army.

    

Arthur MacArthur, III.   During the Spanish-American War, Ensign MacArthur served aboard the steam yacht USS Vixen (PY-4) in the Battle of Santiago. He later participated in naval operations during the Philippine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion.

 

MacArthur commanded submarine USS Grampus (SS-4), destroyer USS McCall (DD-28),minelayer USS San Francisco (CM-2), armored cruiser USS South Dakota (ACR-9) and light cruiser USS Chattanooga (CL-18). For distinguished work in protecting convoys from U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1918, he was awarded the Navy Cross, theDistinguished Service Medal and was promoted to Captain.

 

Douglas MacArthur.  After serving in the Philippines in 1903-04, he was assigned to his father’s staff in Tokyo.  He served with valor in the Mexican War and was awarded medals.  In World War I (1917 -18) he served with distinction and was awarded the Silver Star (his 7th) and two Purple Hearts.

 

In World War II, he was recalled to active duty as Commander of the U. S. Army Forces in the Far East as Lt. General and ultimately General of the Army, Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater.  He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the defense of the Philippines, which he said he accepted in the name of the brave soldiers who served there.

 

                                  * * * * *

General Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
 U. S. Army
Captain Arthur MacArthur III
U. S. Navy
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur 
U. S. Army
Congressional Medal of Honor
Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
 
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Arthur MacArthur III
Congressional Medal of Honor
Douglas MacArthur

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Canadian Brothers in Arms   World War II

 

Arthur Keep

Edward Keep

Robert Harry Noble Keep

Walter Keep

James Calvin Sparling Keep

James Calvin Sparling Keep     Reported Killed Twice; Arrived Home Safely

 

James’ service in World War II was with the Canadian Army, and his regiment was the XXII Manitoba Dragoons, 18th Armoured Car Co.  His rank at demobilization was Trooper, Serial Number H-77019.  He was a Staghound armoured car driver.

 

James was scheduled for leave, and on the day he was to be relieved from his unit to begin said time off in Britain with his family (great aunts & uncles who resided in Cornwall), his relief driver on the Staghound armoured car arrived several hours early. They worked out a "little deal" so that our Dad could get an early start on his travel plans. The relief guy, name was Jerry Soanes, took over Dad's position on the sly, as Dad's Sargent Major was his brother Walter. Walter, being a big brother, always wanted to make sure that the other troopers didn't see him playing favourites so my Dad wanted to get away quietly!

 

That he did, but a few hours later, the car was destroyed by a German artillery round. As there was no one to say anything to the contrary, James C. Keep was listed as a part of the 4 man crew who was killed.  Along with the official notice from the government, Walter even wrote a note to their father telling him how his brother Jim had been killed.  A couple of weeks later, post leave, James caught up with his regiment and said the looks he got from the other guys were memorable!

 

Another time, James was blown through a doorway by a shell exploding in a house they were searching.  As he was bleeding from the ears and nose and unconscious, they assumed he was dead and covered him with a tarp. He woke up under the tarp a while later.

 

                                                                                  Son & Daughter Rickey and Gaye Keep of Central/Western Canada 

James Calvin Sparling Keep with the Manitoba XXII Dragoons, 18th Armoured Car Co.  Circled, bottom section
XXII Manitoba Dragoons entering Vriezenveen, Holland, probably 1945
Staghound Armoured Car restored by Mark Hogenkamp.  See his site http://www.12mbdragoons.com/stag01.html for account. By permission.
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