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When Keith Harries investigated his father's First World War record he was in for a shock...

Keith Harris grew up in the 50s, the rock n’roll years, but the conversations he used to have with his father about life as a soldier in the First World War, still remain clear. After his father's death, and curious about his military career, Keith decided to dig a bit deeper. As a Lewis Gunner, C Company, 2nd Battalion, who ended up at Gallipoli, Keith thought it would be fairly easy to trace his father. He's been searching since 1978, and has found nothing.

Keith's view of the matter is that as a marksman, his father had been an 'unofficial executioner'. He'd explained to his son once what that meant, "I’d have orders to go up the line. A bloke would be tied against a post. I’d have to shoot him. I had no option." After the execution, for which no reason was ever given, he would then go back down the line. Keith believes that as an unnofficial executioner, his father and a few others who had the same background and of whom there's no trace,"were removed from the regimental records and told to keep their mouths shut."

Keith's father made it clear to his son that war was an ugly business, "full of hard, tough, professional fighting and tremendous hatreds between man and man." The struggle for supremacy was going on behind the lines as well as between declared enemies.

Keith's father was also at Gallipoli. The attack there ordered by the generals was impossible and resulted in chaos. It has also bred a mystery which has never been solved which involved a Captain Beck of the Sandringham Norfolks. Keith recalls that his father, "always spoke of Captain Beck with the highest accolades, wonderful man, fine gentleman and a fine officer." Keith remembers his father's words about going into action with Captain Beck and his men, "We were giving covering fire - on a slope which went down into a valley. I saw the Norfolks go down and a fog came up and we couldn’t fire any more, couldn’t see any one to fire at and nothing, so obviously had to cease fire. We dunno what happened. We think the Turks had ‘em. But, we went down afterwards and I can assure you, we never saw a sign nor hair or hide of them. It’s as if they’d never been there."

Keith's view is that appalling treachery was involved, but that a strange sort of justice has emerged in spite of this, "You had 16 officers and over 250 ranks and they all came from the King’s estate at Sandringham. The attack had been had mucked up, so obviously when Captain Beck and the boys went on leave, the King would ask ‘Beck, what happened?’ The point was they led the attack, so if they died in the attack, no one would tell the King, would they? My theory is they wanted them out of the way but instead of that because they disappeared, they’ve gone into legend!"

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