Keith Forsyth Anderson was born at Trentham, VIC, in 1897, to William John Anderson (1) and Alice Mary Siddall.
Working as a grocer at Trentham, Keith tried to join the AIF in 1916, aged 18 years and 7 months. He was not accepted; possibly he lacked his parents' consent. He had previously been in the cadets and was presently serving in the Citizens Military Forces.
On the 16th of August 1917 Keith Anderson successfully enlisted in the AIF, with his parents' consent. He embarked from Melbourne for service overseas on the 21st of November 1917, aboard the HMAT A71 Nestor, with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion.
He was in Suez in mid December where he was awarded two days Confinement to Barracks for disobeying orders and using threatening language. After first disembarking in Taranto, Italy he finally disembarked at Southampton, England on the 2nd of February 1918 and transferred to the 59th Battalion. At the end of March he was AWOL and forfeited two days pay.
He arrived in France in April 1918. In July he suffered a small bout of influenza. Early in February 1919 he was on leave in England and at the end of the month he was attached to the 5th Division Headquarters for duty collecting enemy material after which he rejoined his unit in April. On the 26th of May 1919 he was admitted to the 39th General Hospital (not yet diagnosed). He was discharged and returned to England at the end of May.
On the 24th of July 1919 he embarked for Australia aboard the Bakara transferring to the Bahia Castillo at Durban, South Africa and arriving back in Australia in October.
Keith Forsyth Anderson was discharged from the AIF on the 23rd of November 1919 and died at Kyneton, VIC, in 1972, aged 74.
He is listed on the Bacchus Marsh & District Roll of Honour and the Trentham District Honor Roll, Trentham .
Tree Position (accuracy ±1 tree) -37.677482633133394, 144.44914213814195
Last updated by lee, Sat, 28 Aug 2021 10:51:27