Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Henry Keogh, GCB, GCVO, CH, FRCP (3 July 1857 – 30 July 1936) was a medical doctor in the British Army. He served as Director-General Army Medical Services twice; from 1905 to 1910 and 1914 to 1918.[1]
Early life
Keogh was born in Dublin on 3 July 1857 to Henry Keogh, a barrister and magistrate of Roscommon.[2] He was educated at Queen's College, Galway, and Guy's Hospital, London.[3] He received his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the Queen's University of Ireland in 1878.[1]
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.[2]
Military career
On 2 March 1880, Keogh was commissioned into the Army Medical Services as a surgeon-captain.[2] His first posting was as a surgeon to the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.[1] On 6 March 1892, he was promoted to surgeon-major.[4][2] With the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899, he was posted to South Africa.[3] He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 6 March 1900,[5] and became commander of No. 3 General Hospital near Cape Town.[1] During the war, he served in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal Republic.[2]
In January 1902, following his return from the Second Boer War, he was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Army Medical Services.[6][7] He was promoted to colonel on 2 December 1904.[2] On 1 January 1905, he was appointed Director-General Army Medical Services and promoted to lieutenant-general.[2] He led the reform of the Army Medical Services in response to the Haldane reforms of the Territorial Forces in 1907; this included the introduction of the Territorial Force Nursing Service.[8] He retired from the military on 6 March 1910.[9]
With the outbreak of the First World War, he was reappointed DGAMS on 3 October 1914.[10] He supervised the huge expansion of the Army’s medical services to cope with the war,[3] and was in command of the medical services in the UK.[2] He left the appointment and the military in June 1918.[1]
Later life
He was appointed Rector of Imperial College London and served from 1910 to 1922.[11]
He died at 10 Warwick Square, London, on 30 July 1936.[2] A requiem mass was held at Westminster Cathedral.[7] He was buried in the Marylebone Cemetery, Finchley.[2]
Honours and decorations
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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.[12] On 7 May 1903, he was appointed a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ).[13] He was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1906 King's Birthday Honours.[14] On 24 July 1907, he was appointed Honorary Physician to the King (KHP).[15] He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) on 24 January 1917 'for services rendered in connection with [WWI]'.[16] He was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) on 25 February 1918 'for services in connection with the war'.[17] In the 1918 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).[18]
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,[19] and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour by the President of France.[20] In 1918, he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, 2nd Class by the King of Serbia.[21]
He received the Queen's South Africa Medal with four clasps in 1901.[2]
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 at Mytchett, 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.[22]
References
- ^ a b c d e Harrison, Mark (October 2008). "Keogh, Sir Alfred (1857–1936)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34296. Retrieved 2 February 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Keogh, Sir Alfred Henry (1857–1936)". Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online. Royal College of Surgeons of England. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "Sir Alfred Henry Keogh". Munks Roll. Royal College of Physicians of London. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ "No. 26270". The London Gazette. 22 March 1892. p. 1704.
- ^ "No. 27180". The London Gazette. 6 April 1900. p. 2284.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36624. London. 28 November 1901. p. 10.
- ^ a b "OBITUARY". The Tablet. 8 August 1936. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ Keogh, Alfred (18 July 1908). Army (Territorial Forces) Report by the Director-General of the Army Medical Service, as to the progress made in constituting the Medical Service of the Territorial Force. Cd4056. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office.
- ^ "No. 28346". The London Gazette. 8 March 1910. p. 1684.
- ^ "No. 29372". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1915. p. 11458.
- ^ Past Rectors, Imperial College London, retrieved 21 March 2009
- ^ "No. 27306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1901. pp. 2695–2697.
- ^ "No. 27550". The London Gazette. 8 May 1903. p. 2921.
- ^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1906. pp. 4459–4460.
- ^ "No. 28053". The London Gazette. 23 August 1907. p. 5785.
- ^ "No. 29916". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1917. p. 923.
- ^ "No. 30551". The London Gazette. 1 March 1918. p. 2631.
- ^ "No. 30723". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1918. p. 6532.
- ^ "No. 30302". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 September 1917. pp. 9861–9864.
- ^ "No. 30306". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1917. pp. 9945–9946.
- ^ "No. 30891". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 1918. p. 10645.
- ^ "Sir Alfred Keogh, GCB, GCVO, CH, LLD (Rector 1910–22)". Imperial College London. Retrieved 7 February 2014.