WORLD WAR ONE HISTORICAL ESSAY – LEONARD KEYSOR BY BELLA GIBOR

Carmel School When war comes to mind, a person would generally focus that idea to a brutal mentality, harsh reality or life, blood, fascism, dictatorship and a fighting over different colonies to rule over each “powerful” person, country or territory. World War One was one of the most important events that ever occurred in the twentieth century. Many soliders, as well as civilians lost their families, their homes and their lives. This essay will reveal the bravery of a specific British-Australian Jewish man who risked his life to try protect the lives of innocent civilians as well as his country. This essay will also include how this brave and courageous man fought and saved trenches throughout the terrible battle during the Gallipoli war, The Dardanelles Campaign.

Being known as one of the best bomb-throwers in the Gallipoli war, which was also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Canakkale, which was a campaign of World War One that took place on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottomon Empire between the 25th April, 1915 and the 9th January, 1916. Leonard Keyzor spent a course of over fifty hours on 7th and 8th August, 1915, where he put his life in danger to pick up the Turkish grenades as they were being thrown into his trenches. As Turkish bombs landed in his trench, Keyzor would smother the explosions with sandbags or clothing. If he had time, he would throw the bombs back; on several occasions he caught them in mid-flight before lobbing them back into the Turkish trenches. He was wounded twice but refused medical aid and volunteered to throw bombs for another company whose bomb throwers had become casualties themselves. He maintained his bomb throwing through fifty hours of what is described in the History of the First Battalion A.I.F (Australian Imperial Force); these actions saved the trench and removed the enemy from the position.

Only after the danger had passed did he allow himself to be evacuated for treatment after being badly injured from an explosive. For his actions, Keyzor was awarded the . The citation for the award read: “For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at Lone Pine Trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsula. On 7th August, 1915, he was in a trench which was being heavily bombed by the enemy. He picked up two live bombs and threw them back at the enemy at great risk to his own life, and continued throwing bombs, although himself wounded, thereby saving a portion of the trench which it was most important to hold. On 8th August, at the same place, (Lance-Corporal) ,Keyzor, successfully bombed the enemy out of a position from which a temporary mastery over his own trench had been obtained, and was again wounded. Although marked for hospital, he declined to leave and volunteered to throw bombs for another company, which had lost its bomb-throwers. He continued to bomb the enemy till the situation was relieved”. By this stage, Keyzor was definitely considered the best bomb-thrower and achiever in the war.

After the war and his return back to London, Keyzor married Gladys Benjamin. A year later they had a daughter named, Joan. In 1927, Keyzor was persuaded to re-enact his actions at Lone Pine, in a silent film called “For Valour”. Unbeknown to him, the director was unhappy with the feeble explosions coming from the dummy bombs so he had an electrician wire up larger explosive charges, one in the trench and one on the parapet. With the cameras rolling, Keyzor picked up a sandbag and made ready to smother the ‘bomb’ which exploded only centimetres from his face, severely injuring him. His jaw was fractured and his left arm and leg were peppered with shot; eight teeth had to be removed from the damaged jaw. In the resultant court case, Keyzor was awarded £675

Leonard Maurice Keyzor was born in Maide Vale, London, England, on 3rd November, 1885, and died in Paddington, London on 12th October, 1951 from cancer. He was the third of five children to Benjamin Kyezor, a Jewish clock importer, and Julia Benjamin. He was educated at Townley Castle in Ramsgate, England. After completing his education at Townley Castle, Keyzor travelled to Canada in 1904 where he remained for a period of ten years before immigrating to Australia in 1914 to join his brother, Stanley, and sister, Margery (Madge), just before the outbreak of the First World War. The reason for his immigration was due to finding work as a clerk in Sydney (New South Wales). Always knowing that Keyzor would grow up being a clerk, he went out searching for any availabilities that would accept or take him on as a clerk; it just happened to be that Sydney was the best place, with a great opportunity and also having his brother and sister in the same town as him. While being in Sydney, Leonard discovered a passion for cricket as he played everyday and became one of the best cricketers on his team; little did he realise that World War One was one its way and broke out three months later.

On 18th August, 1914, Keyzor enlisted in the (FAIF) First Australian Imperial Force just as war had broken out and was assigned to the first battalion as a private. Initially, he served in Egypt for five tedious months where the Australians were involved in the Defence of the Suez Canal against the Turks, while the Russian army had found themselves threatened by the Turks and called the allies for help. After months of training in Egypt, the brigade embarked for Gallipoli, landing on Anzac at approximately 7:30am. Meanwhile the British set off on a Navy expedition to the Western shore of Turkey; the aim of the expedition was to take the Dardanelles with Constantinople as the objective. By capturing Constantinople, the British hoped to link up with the Russians, knock Turkey out of the war and persuade the Balkan states to join the Allies.

Before long, Keyzor found himself in the thick of a fierce battle when the Australians landed at Gallipoli on 25th April, 1915. The conditions were horrible and many men died in the battle and suffered in trenches. The landscape made fighting difficult and the Turks created a system of trenches that were difficult to break down. It was finally decided to make a new attack at a place called, “Lone Pine”, but the Turks were caught by surprise as the Australians rained down on them. There were many losses though as the vicious battle dragged on for five days and due to close quarters fighting there were many grenades.

During the Lone Pine Battle the Turkish bombs were being thrown around in every direction over each trench and into trenches; Keyzor would smother them with sandbags and even his own coat to put the fuse out. When he thought the fuse was long enough he even caught grenades and threw them back at the enemy. On 20th of June, Keyzor was promoted to Lance corporal for demonstrating his bravery in the .

After the battle was over, Keyzor was evacuated from Gallipoli suffering enteric fever which is an infectious bacterial fever that displays red spots on the chest and abdomen as well as severe intestinal irritation. Keyzor eventually rejoined the first battalion after they had been transferred to France in early 1916. Keyzor won his Victoria Cross during the battle on Lone Pine in August 1915; by that time he had become a master bomb-thrower. His bravery saved his trench and removed the enemy from a temporarily commanding position. It was recorded that the battalions of the first brigade lost so heavily that few witnesses of its efforts remained.

On 17th November, 1916, Keyzor was transferred to the 42nd battalion and was promoted sergeant on 1st December. Commissioned second on 13th January, 1917, he was then promoted lieutenant in July for demonstrating such a brave and determined act by portraying his strength and abilities during the war. When promoted to lieutenant, this was also a characterisation of Keyzor’s that he displayed throughout the heavy war.

Leonard was wounded on 28th March, 1918, while fighting on the defensive line and was evacuated. Back with his unit, he was again wounded on 26th May in a gas bombardment near Veillers-Bretonneux, France. In October 1918, Keyzor, an uncompromising advocate of conscription (the enlistment for state service) was returned to Australia with other veterans and assisted in the recruiting campaign. He was discharged from the army as medically unfit on 12th December and resumed clerical work, and in 1920 he entered business in London.

He was a man with white hair and was partially deaf when interviewed in the 1940’s as he described himself as a “common or garden clock importer” and remarked that the war was the only adventure he ever had.

Keyzor died in Paddington, London on 2th October, 1951 from cancer, survived by his wife and daughter and was cremated after a memorial service at the liberal Jewish synagogue at St John’s Wood, North-West of London. Before dying, he changed the spelling of his surname from ‘Keyzor’ to ‘Keysor’

Leonard Maurice Keysor’s determination, courage and bravery were characteristics that can never be underestimated. These characteristics not only served himself, his family and his fellow Soliders, but an entire nation. Not only was he a hero of war, but an applauded human being who enabled the courage of his conviction to motivate his every action. These actions will never be forgotten as Leonard Keysor was a remarkable man.