The middle name of Major Arthur Keen MC was actually 'Willan', not 'William', but it is a mistake that occurs in a few official sources.

The son of Arthur Thomas and Isabel Charlotte Eliza (née Willan) Keen, Arthur Willan Keen was schooled at Aldro, Dunchurch Hall and Rugby before commencing an engineering degree at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1913. His degree unfinished, Keen was commissioned into the Army Service Corp (Mechanical Transport) in May 1915, as a 2nd Lieutenant.

In November 1915 he joined the Royal Flying Corps and attended the School of Instruction, Reading, Berkshire. Basic flying training followed at Catterick, Yorkshire where Keen achieved his Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 2298 on 17 January 1916, flying a Maurice Farman biplane.

In late January 1916 Keen moved to Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland, for advanced flying training. By mid-February he had been awarded his RFC Pilot Brevet and was selected to remain at Montrose as a flying instructor. On 17 June 1916, whilst airborne, Keen witnessed another aircraft crash into the sea close to Montrose airfield. He quickly landed, leapt into his car, drove rapidly for the beach, and swam out about 150 yards to rescue injured Canadian pilot 2nd Lt Robert E. A. Macbeth from the submerging wreck. This incident earned Keen the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society.

August 1916 saw Keen join his first operational unit, 70 Squadron. Operating the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, 70 Squadron had already begun deploying by individual Flights to Fienvillers, France in July, in support of the Somme offensives. On 28 August Keen scored both his, and 70 Squadron's, first aerial combat victory.

At the end of October 1916 Keen was briefly posted to No.45 Squadron, also flying the Sopwith 1½ Strutter and co-located at Fienvillers, as a temporary Captain and Flight Commander.  This posting resulted from 45 Squadron’s inexperience as a fighting unit, suffering severe losses of aircraft and crews on 22 October 1916 at the hands of Jastas 2 and 4 and established aces Hpt Oswald Boelcke, Ltn Erwin Böhme and Ltn Wilhelm Frankl.  

In early December 1916 Keen returned to Home Establishment, this time serving as a flying instructor with training units at Ternhill, Shropshire and Harlaxton, Lincolnshire.

Keen was back in France at the end of April 1917, to 40 Squadron, newly-equipped with Nieuport scouts and in the throes of moving from Auchel to Bruay. He initially commanded ‘C’ Flight which included (then) 2nd Lt Edward C. 'Mick' Mannock amongst its members. During this tour Keen claimed a further 11 victories flying the Nieuport 23, and was awarded the Military Cross.

Another Home Establishment tour followed in November 1917, with a posting to HQ Eastern Training Brigade. Keen was then promoted to Major in April 1918 to command a flying training squadron at the Central Flying School, Upavon, Wiltshire.

It wasn't long before Keen returned to 40 Squadron again, in June 1918, this time as Squadron Commander, following the combat death of previous incumbent Major Roderic S. Dallas. No.40 Squadron now operated the RAF SE5a; with this aircraft Keen added 2 further victories to his tally. An unfortunate flying accident at Bruay on 15 August 1918 resulted in concussion and burns, and Keen sadly succumbed to those injuries in hospital on 2 September, 70 days before the Armistice.

 

S G Buxton