Key, DP

Lieutenant Douglas Polson Key

Born in South Africa on the 24^th of January 1894, Douglas was the elder of two children of physician James Key and his wife, Annie. After his father passed away, the family came to London, and in September 1908 he started at Dulwich at the same time as his younger brother, Bertie. Douglas was at the College for the next three years, in the last of which he played for both the 2^nd XV as well as the cricket 3^rd XI. He left in the summer of 1911, taking up a place at the City & Guilds Institute of London University, where he took a B.Sc. in engineering. After graduating he spent time in King Edward’s Horse, before taking up a commission in the Royal Engineers.

In the summer of 1914 Douglas was at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham; the declaration of war, however, meant that he was reassigned to his unit and, after a short stint posted at Wareham, was sent to the continent that October. He went on to serve through the winter of 1914, and subsequently the spring and much of the summer 1915 with the 78^th Field Company, Royal Engineers, who were part of the 17^th Division. At 1 a.m. on August 25^th 1915 he was killed in action near Ypres, whilst serving as part of a digging party in No Man’s Land.