O'KEEFE, Patrick Augustine

Patrick O'Keefe had no real connection to East Melbourne. His brother, whom he named at next of kin, worked at the Jolimont Railway Workshops, but he was born in Bendigo, worked as a carpenter and embarked to the war from Sydney. He gave his age as thirty on his enlistment form, but was in fact nearer to 40, having been born in 1876.He was single, Roman Catholic by religion, born as the fourth child of Patrick O'Keefe and his wife Bridget, nee Fitzpatrick. He was brother to John (b.1871), Ellen (b.1874), Terence (b.1874), Maggie (b.1878), Michael (b.1884) and Mary (b.1893). By 1915, both parents were dead.

Patrick O'Keefe enlisted on 15 October, 1915, and was attached to the 17th Battalion, 1-13 Reinforcements. They left for Egypt on 20 December, 1915, on HMAT Aeneas A60. Marching in to Alexandria, the new recruits were taken on strength with the 17th Battalion on 17 March, 1916. The 17th Battalion had been involved in the last action of the August Offensive at Gallipoli, the attack on Hill 60. Thet were responsible for the defence of Quinn's post, said by the AWM to be 'one of the most contested positions along the entire Anzac Front'.

In December, the 17th Battalion, along with all the other Australian units left Gallipoli, returning to Egypt, where the reinforcements had been in training and were now ready as fighting troops. From there, they were sent to Marseilles, disembarking on 22-23 March, 1916. Patrick O'Keefe, along with the rest of the Battalion moved to the front line in April, where the 17th battalion took a forward position in the Armenieres sector.  June was the prelude to the great battle of the Somme. On 17 July, they moved up to Amiens, a vital point because of the railway whihc, if captured would open the way for the German Army to conquer Paris. On 20 July, they were at Warloy-Baillon, then on 22 July, at Albert.  Sapper Hill 393, of the 17th battalion, kept a diary of events. His entry on 25 July included this sentence: A terrible lot of boys are getting wounded as we see them passing along as it's very rough up the line.

On 26 July, Patrick O'Keefe was killed in action. He was buried close by at Serre Rd. Cemetery No 1 at Hebuterne, 6 miles north of Albert, Plot 9 Row A, Grave 5. In Australia he is remembered in the Roll of Honour Cards 145 and on Panel 83 in the Commemorative Area of the Australian War Museum. Unfortunately, the panel has his name wrong, listign him as Paul Augustine O'Brien.