Keith Davidson HEARN

Family

Birth

WA BDM

Hearn Keith D Male Williams 109 1923

https://www.genealogysa.org.au

Death

Given Name(s): Keith Davidson

Surname: HEARN

Death Date: 1994, August 29

Age:

Publication Date: 1994, September 01

Publication: Advertiser

Death of infant

Given Name(s): Margaret Dawn

Last Name: HEARN

Death Date: 30 Jul 1951

Gender: F

Age: 15h

Approx. Birth Year: 1951

Marital Status: C

Relative 1: Keith Davidson HEARN [F]

Relative 2:

Residence: Kingscote KI

Death Place: Kingscote KI

District: Encounter Bay

Symbol: H

Book/Page: 771/4126

Death of son

Given Name(s): Kym Davidson

Last Name: HEARN

Death Date: 25 Aug 1970

Gender: M

Age: 19y

Approx. Birth Year: 1951

Marital Status: S

Relative 1:

Relative 2:

Residence: Salisbury

Death Place: Nr Native Valley

District: Mount Barker

Symbol:

Book/Page: 97A/6725

Memorial

Given Name(s): Keith D

Surname: HEARN

Death Date: 29 Aug 1994

Age: 71 y

Relations: Husband of Margaret Edith, daughter & grandchildren

Cemetery: Enfield Memorial Park

Previously lived in WINDSOR GARDENS

Notes: WX32625 Sapper 2/11 Battalion 9 Div, AIF badge

WX32625 on his memorial is the number of a different soldier (a Captain, not a sapper) in a different unit.. which further adds to the mystery.

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?ServiceId=A&VeteranId=766707

Death Notices

Advertiser 1 Sep 1994 (large ad - about 3") interalia

Hearn, Keith Davidson, on Monday August 29 1994 at Modbury Hospital. 9th [sic] Battalion 2nd A.I.F.
Dearly loved and loving husband of Margaret (Jack).
Much loved father of Lauri and father in law of Lou.
Devoted Pop of Susan and Nigel, Michelle and Jason.
... Privately cremated, Simplicity Funerals, Blackforest.

Also

HEARN, Keith. Much loved uncle and great uncle. Will be sadly missed. R.I.P. Love Helen, Phil, Rebecca and Sarah.

Advertiser 9 Sep 1994 TPI logo.

In memory of our member [sic] Keith Davidson Hearn. Pres: J W Hebal. Sec G. Blyth.

Interim Conclusion

(Research continues to verify the following.)

• Keith Davidson HEARN was born in 1923 in the Williams District WA.

• On 24 May 1941, at the age of 18 he enrolled at Southern Cross as Keith Douglas HEARN (WX13558) lying about his name and about his age as being 22 (i.e. born in 1919 - no WA BDM). On enrollment he said he was born in Narrogin, WA - which is just outside the present Williams district, and that his next of kin was Sylvia HEARN.

• In 1941 he married to Sylvia May VANCE in Victoria, under the name Harold HEARN.

• Sylvia May VANCE was most probably born at Stawell, Victoria, in 1916 (making her 7 years older than Keith) .

• He had a son to Sylvia - Jim HEARN, now ROBINSON (he was fostered to the Robinson family, when Keith was away at war) (source: Deb Baohm 20/1/18)

• He divorced Sylvia May in 1944.

• His second wife recounts her meeting him as he was on furlough from service in the Middle East and on his way to New Guinea. (source: Deb Baohm 20/1/18)

• He married (2) to Margaret Dawn COLLINS in 1947 in Malvern, SA

• In 1951 he successfully applied for a KI soldier settlement plot 16 in the Hundred of Seddon, Kangaroo Island.

• He lost a newborn called Margaret Dawn HEARN in Kingscote in July 1951. She was a twin to Kym Davidson HEARN who died in a car accident on 1970 (source: Deb Baohm 24/1/18).

• Two more children to Margaret Dawn and Keith: Deryth and Ashley Jon. both still living. (source: Deb Baohm 20/1/18)

• He divorced Margaret Dawn in 1963 and became estranged from his family (source: Deb Baohm 20/1/18) who moved to Kingscote and left KI for Adelaide in 1966 (source: Deb Baohm 24/1/18)

• Margaret Dawn married (2) Bill Smart in 1966 the same year she and her children removed to Adelaide. She died in 2004. Bill died Apr 1984 (source: Deb Baohm 24/1/18)

• Keith stayed - without his family - working on the farm until about 1965. He married (3) Margaret Edith ? (about his own age) who may have been working in a hotel in Kingscote, and originally came from Victoria. (source: Deb Baohm 24/1/18)

• The couple lived in Windsor Gardens.

• Keith Davidson HEARN died 29 Aug 1994.

• The place of death is thought to be in Adelaide (source: Deb Baohm 20/1/18)

• Lorraine James arranged the funeral and the at-need gravesite. (source: Chris Ward)

• He was cremated at Enfield, and Simplicity Funerals were the undertakers. (source: Chris Ward)

• It is unknown whether any ashes were placed at Enfield. Someone, presumably Margaret Edith, through the RSL, arranged for the AIF memorial at Enfield with several details wrongly stated e.g. his service number as WX32625 not WX13558. See image:

• Notwithstanding the memorial at Enfield, it would seem Margaret Edith took his ashes (all or part?) back to Victoria, and had them placed in a niche at Springvale one month after his death.

• Australian War Graves advise that his ashes are placed at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, on the behest of his wife Mrs M. Hearn, who was living at North Blackburn at the time. They state they have no record of a memorial at Enfield.

• Springvale Botanical cemetery: "Keith is memorialised at Gardenia, Wall A, Niche 29. Please find photo of memorial attached. Our records have date of death as 29/08/1994, his date of service at Springvale was 30/09/1994 and he was 71 years old. Keith was not cremated with us (so we have no funeral director on our records) and we only have a portion of his ashes at our cemetery."

• Chris Ward spoke to Springvale Botanical cemetery 22 Jan 2018 : They claim they received ALL of Keith’s ashes and what didn’t fit into the niche container were scattered in the cemetery. They have advised that the service they referred to was just the cemetery staff placing the ashes in the columbarium wall. There was no funeral or memorial service as such at Springvale.