Joseph-Thomas Keable VC, MM | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 May 1892 Saint-Moïse, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | 9 June 1918 (aged 26) Neuville-Vitasse, France |
| Buried | Wanquetin Communal Cemetery Extension, France |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Years of service | 1916–1918 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 22nd Battalion (French Canadian), CEF |
| Battles / wars | World War I † |
| Awards | |
Joseph Thomas Keable, VC, MM (5 May 1892 – 9 June 1918) was a Canadian soldier during the First World War. Keable was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.[1][2] He was the first French Canadian soldier to be decorated with the VC and Military Medal.
Mostly wrongly spelled Kaeble in English, his actual name at baptism was Keable. His name is also oddly spelled Kable in a page of the 1911 Census of Canada.[3]
- ^ Frances Willick (13 November 2012). "New Coast Guard patrol vessel honours hero: VC winner Kaeble remembered November 13, 2012 – 8:12pm By FRANCES WILLICK Staff Reporter". Halifax Chronicle Herald. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
A newspaper account published in 1918 described his actions: "Cpl. Kaeble jumped over the parapet, and holding his Lewis gun at the hip, emptied one magazine after another into the advancing enemy, and although wounded several times by fragments of shells and bombs, he continued to fire and entirely blocked the enemy by his determined stand."
- ^ "Government to consider arming coast guard vessels: Defence Minister Peter MacKay makes revelation in Halifax". CBC News. 13 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
The Caporal Kaeble V.C. Hero-class vessel was named after Joseph Kaeble, a First World War soldier who earned a posthumous Victoria Cross for stopping a German attack.
- ^ page of the 1911 Census of Canada