Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
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1206623
CSM Frederick William Keeble MM
British Army 7th Btn. Suffolk Regiment
from:Blaxhall Suffolk
CSM Frederick Keeble MM was my Grandfather, the only thing he told me about the trenches was they had to eat candles when food was short. I'm told he was wounded 4 times and I know he had bullet holes in his legs that Dad said you could put your finger in and that on his death bed the doctor took off his shirt to reveal a lump of shrapnel visible under the skin on his chest, my Grandmother had never seen him without his shirt on so had no idea it was there.
I don't really know how he won the MM but the story is they were pinned down by a German machine gun nest and no-one could move, after a while Grandad said 'well I've had enough of this' he advanced on the nest, under fire, lobbed some grenades in and bayoneted the men who came out.
After the war Grandads unit were guarding supply trains bound for Germany he was instructed to shoot anyone caught stealing from the trains, an Australian troop train pulled up and the men on board promptly raided the trains which were full of bully beef and all sorts, Grandad is said to have stepped out and on seeing the Australians said 'best we go round the back and have another fag', he wouldn't give the order to open fire, as a result he left the Army without reference which made it hard to get a job.