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Roger Keyes is Born
Roger Keyes was born in India October 4, 1872. His parents were Brigadier Sir Charles Patton Keyes, and Katherine Jessie Keyes. Keyes was the second son of Brigadier and Katherine. He ended up having a total of 4 siblings. -
Keyes Joins the Royal Navy
Keyes joined the royal navy. Keyes was a cadet on a training ship called the HMS Britannia. Keyes set sail on this for a few months. -
Keyes gets Promoted
Promoted to midshipman and he was transferred to the corvette HMS Turquoise, operating from Zanzibar on slavery suppression missions. Keyes was then promoted again to sub-lieutenant. Also then to lieutenant later on. -
Keyes Leads a Mission in China
In June 1900, Keyes led a mission to capture a flotilla of four Chinese destroyers on the Peiho River. Together with another junior officer, he took boarding parties onto the Chinese destroyers, and captured the destroyers. Shortly thereafter he led a mission to capture the heavy fort at Hsi-cheng: he loaded HMS Fame with 32 men, rifles, pistols, and explosives. His men quickly destroyed the Chinese gun mountings, blew up the powder magazine and returned to the ship. -
Keyes Reaches a High Point
Keyes was one of the first men to climb over the Peking walls, to break through and to free the legations. For this he was promoted to commander. -
Start of WWI
When the First World War broke out, Keyes took command of the Eighth Submarine Flotilla at Harwich. He planned and took part in the first Battle of Heligoland Bight. He went alongside the sinking German cruiser SMS Mainz and picked up 220 survivors and which he was mentioned for. -
Keyes Becomes Chief of Staff
Keyes became Chief of Staff to Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden. Commander of the Royal Navy squadron off the Dardanelles, and was involved in an organisation called the Dardanelles Campaign. After progress, the attack of the Turkish defences was called off because of low ammunition stocks, and fears of a new Turkish minefield. -
Keyes Starts the Zeebrugge Raid
In October 1917 Keyes was appointed Director of Plans at the Admiralty in London. In this position Keyes basically started the Zeebrugge raid that was launched with success, on April 22/23, 1918 to block the exits from the Zeebrugge and Ostend ports. Because of the huge success Keyes receives yet another promotion. -
Keyes Takes Command
Keyes takes command of the Battle Cruiser Force. In 1921 he returned to whitehall as Deputy Chief on the Naval Staff, and in 1925 he became commander-in-chief of the mediterranean. Then goes on to be promoted to Admiral in 1930. -
Keyes Appointed Vice-Admiral
Keyes was appointed Vice-Admiral Commanding the Battle Cruiser Squadron. On 29 December he received the dignity of a Baronet of the United Kingdom, of Zeebrugge and Dover in the County of Kent. -
Keyes Moves Up in Ranks Again
On the King's Birthday, June 3rd, 1930 Keyes was appointed an Ordinary Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath. This was yet again another rise in his military career. -
Keyes Retires Not Once... but Twice.
With the Second World War Keyes was recalled to serve as liaison officer to Belgian King Leopold, and was appointed Director of Combined Operations, before his second and final retirement. Keyes lasted a long time in the Royal Navy, and went up many many rankings. I would say it was a good run for Roger Keyes. -
Keyes Retires
Keyes put in his retirement on May 8, 1935. He grew very well in the Royal Navy, and went up many rankings. -
Keyes Sends a Message
May 27th, the King asked Sir Roger to inform the British authorities that he would be obliged to surrender before something bad was going to take place, a similar message was given to the French.
By the afternoon of that day the German Army had talked to the Belgian and British Armies. Every road, village, and town in the small part of Belgium was filled with hundreds of thousands of refugees, and men, women, and children were being bombed and machine-gunned by aircrafts. -
Keyes Gets Put on the Active List
The King approved the Admirals of the Fleet should in the future be born on the Active List of the Royal Navy for life, on 4 March, 1940, Keyes was replaced on the Active List with seniority of 8 May, 1930. -
Keyes is ill
During his visit to the amphibious warfare ship USS Appalachian he suffered smoke inhalation following an attack by Japanese aircraft and never fully recovered. -
Roger Keyes Dies
After becoming Roger Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover he died in 1945 at the age of 72. Keyes died with a wife and 5 kids, 3 boys, 2 girls. A very successful man in the Royal Navy. -
Keyes' Funeral
Keyes was given a funeral in Westminster Abbey and after the ceremony he was taken to St James’ Cemetery, Dover. There he was laid to rest among his fallen comrades of the Zeebrugge Raid.
