TOPIC:

Mcaleera
No, I don't have any info on CSM L.B.Keys apart from what I have posted. I didn't even think of the possibility of another family member meeting with Hugh Keys during the Boer War until I saw your newspaper clipping.
Getting back to Sgt. Hugh Keys, his attestation papers for the South African Oversea Expeditionary Force on 19th August, 1915 have him declaring he was thirty-eight years of age. Before seeing the group family pic you so kindly posted recently, I would have thought that when Hugh Keys enlisted in Kitchener's Horse in Feb., 1900 he would have been, say, between 20 and 30 yoa - this puts his declared age on 19th August 1915 at thirty-eight as about right. However, looking at the group pic you kindly posted recently, Sgt. Hugh Keys looks to be in his 50's. So, it is very likely that he was quite a bit older than his 20's when he enlisted in KH and put his age back considerably in August, 1915.
It is unlikely that the recruiters would have checked such things too closely (if at all) during the Great War. I would not be at all hard on Hugh Keys for fibbing about his age; you can't keep an Old Soldier down!
Regards
IL.

The reason I say he lied was, being 38 in 1915 would have had him born in or around 1877, one of his stepbrothers was born in 1874 and his mother had remarried to my great great grandfather it sort of throws up an impossible situation.

This is H. Keys birth date showing he lied about his age.

IL,

I am processing the Brabant's Horse attestation papers and came across this one.

I have also cross-checked Kitchener's Horse and there is, sadly, no attestation papers for Keys in WO126/85.

David
Thanks for that searching and the BH record of service. Really appreciated.
Best regards
IL.