Thomas Keith Hedley's Story.
Thomas (known as Keith) was born in 1889, to parents Edward, a stockbroker, and Margaret. In 1901 the family were living at 13 Devonshire Place, Oxton. As well as Keith, there were three older brothers, Charles, George and Gray.
Keith suffered from poor health as a child and his parents decided against sending him to public school. He attended Balliol College, Oxford from 1907 where he studied history. It was at university that he developed his keen interest in helping those less fortunate, becoming heavily involved in the running of a club for underprivileged boys. Keith achieved his degree five years later.
From 1912 he took up a teaching post at Marlborough College firstly as an assistant and then as a teacher in the upper school, which he undertook following a twelve month trip to Germany to study teaching methods there and learn the language.
In 1913, back at Marlborough College and teaching, Keith, like so many of his colleagues and friends joined the Officer’s Training Corps (part of the Territorial Force). Therefore, when the First World War commenced in the summer of 1914, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade.
The battalion was to spend the next few months in training until orders were received to depart for France, which they did in May 1915. By June Keith and his fellow officers and men were stationed east of the city of Ypres near to Hooge. This village and its chateau had seen plenty of action before the Rifle Brigade were positioned there, in fact a few months earlier the Germans had detonated an underground mine resulting in a large crater.
The 29th July had seen an unusually quiet day but the battalion still prepared themselves in the trenches. At around 3 o’clock on the morning of the 30th July the Germans attacked from the direction of the Hooge Chateau. In the words of the battalion war diary – “…..part of the front trenches were subjected to an intense bombardment which lasted only about two or three minutes, then suddenly sheets of flame broke out all along the front and clouds of thick, black smoke. The Germans had turned on liquid fire.”
This was the first use of flame throwers against British troops. It caused the battalion to take cover whilst the enemy sent their troops to attack the British trenches
The battalion suffered heavy casualties, one being Keith Rae. An eyewitness from the company said he last saw Keith firing his revolver over the parapet at the oncoming Germans. He claims that Keith was shot in the head and fell dead.
It has not been established whether Keith’s body was ever found and buried but he subsequently was reported as missing believed killed and his name is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres.
In 1921 the Rae family erected a memorial to Keith in the form of a celtic cross close to where he was killed. The memorial was moved in 1966, following concerns of its future, to a site about 1km away, outside Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, Belgium where it remains today. In addition, a replica of the memorial was erected on the Rae family grave in Flaybrick Cemetery, Birkenhead.
All three of Keith’s brothers served during the First World War and all survived.
Keith is remembered on the following war memorials – Birkenhead; Balliol College; Marlborough College; St Saviour’s Church Oxton; St Andrew’s Church West Kirby, the Royal Liverpool Golf Club and on the family grave in Flaybrick Cemetery.
Keith pictured in the newspaper in 1914
Rae family grave, Flaybrick Cemetery, Birkenhead
Research by Chris