Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Henry Keogh, (3 July 1857 – 30 July 1936) was a
medical doctor in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. He served as
Director-General Army Medical Services twice; from 1905 to 1910 and 1914 to 1918.
Early life
Keogh was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
on 3 July 1857 to Henry Keogh, a barrister and magistrate of
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...
.
He was educated at
Queen's College, Galway
The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...
, and
Guy's Hospital, London.
He received his
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
(MD) degree from the
Queen's University of Ireland in 1878.
Upon graduation he moved to London to undertake his
house officer placements. He served as a house physician at the
Brompton Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, and as a clinical assistant at the
Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital
Moorfields Eye Hospital is a specialist NHS eye hospital in Finsbury in the London Borough of Islington in London, England run by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, which is adjacen ...
.
Military career
On 2 March 1880, Keogh was commissioned into the
Army Medical Services
The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the ...
as a
surgeon-captain.
His first posting was as a surgeon to the
Royal Arsenal,
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...
.
On 6 March 1892, he was promoted to
surgeon-major.
With the outbreak of the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
in 1899, he was posted to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
He was promoted to
lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
on 6 March 1900,
and became commander of No. 3 General Hospital near
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
During the war, he served in
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
, the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
, and the
Transvaal Republic
The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
.
In January 1902, following his return from the Second Boer War, he was appointed Deputy Director-General of the
Army Medical Services
The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the ...
.
He was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
on 2 December 1904.
On 1 January 1905, he was appointed
Director-General Army Medical Services and promoted to
lieutenant-general.
He retired from the military on 6 March 1910.
With the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he was reappointed DGAMS on 3 October 1914.
He supervised the huge expansion of the Army’s medical services to cope with the war,
and was in command of the medical services in the UK.
He left the appointment and the military in June 1918.
Later life
He was appointed
Rector of Imperial College London
The President of Imperial College London is the highest academic official of Imperial College London. The President, formerly known as the Rector, is the chief executive, elected by the Council of the college and Chairman of the Senate. The positi ...
and served from 1910 to 1922.
He died at 10 Warwick Square, London, on 30 July 1936.
A
requiem mass
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
was held at
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.
The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...
.
He was buried in the Marylebone Cemetery, Finchley.
Honours and decorations
On 29 November 1900, he was appointed
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in recognition of services in the campaign in South Africa, 1899 to 1900.
On 7 May 1903, he was appointed a
Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ).
He was promoted to
Knight Commander
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
of the Order of the Bath in the 1906
King's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...
.
On 24 July 1907, he was appointed
Honorary Physician to the King (KHP).
He was promoted to
Knight Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
of the Order of the Bath (GCB) on 24 January 1917 'for services rendered in connection with
WI.
He was appointed to the
Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) on 25 February 1918 'for services in connection with the war'.
In the 1918 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
(GCVO).
He was a recipient of a number of foreign honours. In 1917, he was appointed
Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown by the King of the Belgians,
and
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour by the President of France.
In 1918, he was awarded the
Order of the White Eagle, 2nd Class by the King of Serbia.
He received the
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...
with four clasps in 1901.
Legacy
*The Keogh Platoon is named in honour of Sir Alfred Keogh, who is enshrined in the history of the
Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC).
*The
Keogh Barracks
Keogh Barracks is a military installation on Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey, England.
History
The barracks were commissioned to accommodate the Army School of Hygiene and are named after Sir Alfred Keogh, a former Director-General of Ar ...
at
Mytchett
Mytchett is a village in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. It is to the east of Farnborough (in Hampshire), the nearest town. Much of the village dates from the first half of the twenti ...
,
Surrey, was also named in Sir Alfred Keogh's memory.
*Keogh Hall, a hall of residence at Imperial College London is named in his honour.
References
External links
Military background of Sir Alfred Keogh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keogh, Alfred
1857 births
1936 deaths
Medical doctors from Dublin (city)
Alumni of the University of Galway
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
Irish surgeons
20th-century Irish medical doctors
Royal Army Medical Corps officers
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Rectors of Imperial College London
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Knights of Grace of the Order of St John
Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
20th-century surgeons