Harry Keenan

Harry Keenan. Private, 25553, 2nd Bn., Lancashire Fusiliers. Died on 23rd. February 1919. Age 24.

I am had quite some difficulty with this soldier. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission gives his name as Henry. The photograph below is of his name on the Roll of Honour in St. Peter's Church where he is also referred to as Henry, but he is Harry in the memorial window.

The Lancashire Fusiliers Museum has the information that Harry died in the global 'flu epidemic of that time. The date of his death is post armistice, so he is not listed in "Soldiers Died".

Harry's parents are given as the late James and Margaret Keenan of Wavertree, Liverpool, so no obvious local connection there. The 1901 Census confrirms this and shows two brothers and a sister. His grave is in Mexborough Cemetery, near Doncaster in Yorkshire Old. B."C" 101. in the same grave is his brother Pte. James Robert Keenan, 443792, Royal Army Service Corps. who died on 18th May, 1922, age 28 years. I have contacted the Doncaster registry office and they informed me that there is no death certificate for Henry Keenan in their records. This means he did not die in the area. Why are the two men buried there, did they have a close relative living nearby?

No-one locally had any recollection of Harry or his family, but I was finally informed by the Vicar at Natland, near Kendal, that he was a resident of St Mark's Home for Boys there. It seems likely he came into farm service or to work at one of the "big houses" in the area.

Since the above was written Genealogy sites have proliferated on the web and birth records show that Henry, son of James, a gas stoker, and Margaret Anne Keenan was baptised on June 12th 1895 at Holy Trinity Wavertree and lived at 35, Alfred St. The 1901 census shows him at age 6 still with his family at the same address, he has a brother named as James R. (see above) age 7, an 8 year old sister, Catherine and a 6 month old baby brother, Laurence. The 1911 census jumps from number 31 to number 37, Alfred St.