Estelle Venner Keogh

Estelle Venner Keogh (7 July 1892 – 3 April 1966), later known as Estelle Venner Wilkins, was an Australian nurse who served in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing service during World War I. She was awarded a Royal Red Cross (1st class) by the King in 1918 for her bravery evacuating patients from Ypres and Poperinghe while under fire.

Early life Keogh was born on 7 July 1892 in Malvern, Victoria. She was the second child born to Helen Beatrice Moore, and Edmund Joseph Keogh. Helen was a business woman and nurse, and was a cousin to the Marquis of Drogheda. Keogh's father Edmund was an estate agent, and camel breeder from Western Australia. Keogh's father's estate agency business failed and her parents separated around 1900. Her father moved to Western Australia, where he became a labourer. Her mother was engaged to care for four young children whose parents, friends of hers, had been killed in an accident. Her mother inherited £2,000 from her father-in-law Edmund Keogh's estate and used the money to buy a property and open a hostel for nurses, which evolved into a nurses' employment agency.

Keogh's younger brothers, Esmond Venner Keogh, and Gerard Basil Venner Keogh, also served in World War I along with their father, who joined the Imperial Camel Corps.

On 2 July 1914, Keogh received honorary mention at the Royal Trained Nurse Association for her nursing examination results. She trained as a nurse at the Alfred Hospital. Keogh was then appointed to working on the barges that travelled down the Somme to the casualty stations along the bank collecting wounded soldiers. The barges were set up as hospital ships with surgical equipment for emergency operations, and removable covers to protect them from the weather. They were a simple and comfortable form of transport for 30 patients at a time. Keogh worked on the barges for many weeks, until winter when the river rose too high for the barges to pass under the bridges. The medal was awarded for the skill and bravery she displayed while evacuating the casualty clearing station between Ypres and Poperigne while under fire. Later life On the journey home from the war, Keogh met Lieutenant George Henry Wilkins MC who had recently served in the landing of Gallipoli and then served in France. At the time of their meeting, he was still experiencing significant symptoms from being gassed. They moved to Tasmania and married on 6 April 1918 in Launceston. Keogh and Wilkins had five children, Lloyd, Jack, Dawn, Cecily, and Fay. The family ended up settling in Potts Point, New South Wales. Four of Keogh's children served in World War II.

Keogh died on 3 April 1966 in Potts Point, New South Wales, aged 73.