Rather than the infantrymen that made up the vast bulk of Darebin’s volunteers, “Ken” Christian was unusual in that he was one of just two locals from Northcote (the other William George Vincent Williams, the first Australian to be killed in World War One) to have served at sea, in his case with the British Merchant Navy.
Christian was the First Officer on the British armed merchant liner S.S “Glengyle” (London) and died on New Year’s Day, 1916 as a result of a torpedo attack by the German submarine U-38 240 nautical miles south east of Malta.
His elder brother John Carlyle Christian (“Lyle”) reached the rank of Lieutenant in the A.I.F. and through letters to his father was a regular contributor to the Leader during 1917 and 1918. On embarkation his occupation was as “Actor”. After demobilisation, he returned to England and joined the R.A.F. as a Flying Officer, eventually retiring from the services in 1933.
Kennan Earl Christian’s names is one of over 35,800 included at the Tower Hill Memorial in London which commemorates those of the Mercantile Navy and Fishing Fleet that lost their lives during the two World Wars and have no grave other than the sea.
Link to the history of Kennan Earl Christian
Link to ozsportshistory.com downloads for WW1
