Lieutenant William Keith ElthamPrint Page 
The sporting pavilion was named in honour of (Lieutenant) William Keith Eltham who was killed in action at Flers in France in December 1916 during World War One. William Eltham was a well known cricketer.
The Hobart City Council honoured Lieutenant Eltham on 11 November 2015 by naming a new sporting pavilion at the Soldiers Memorial Oval, on the Queens Domain, Hobart, after their former employee and a well-known sporting identity. The Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue suggested the pavilion be named after William Keith Eltham. Relatives of Lieutenant Eltham attended the official opening.
Location
| Address: | Upper Domain Road, Soldiers Memorial Oval, Queens Domain, Hobart, 7000 |
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| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -42.866605 Long: 147.323006 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Structure |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 31-December-1916 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 31-December-1916 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Wednesday 11th November, 2015 |
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Plaque :
The William Keith Eltham Pavilion
was officially opened by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Hobart, Alderman Sue Hickey on 11 November 2015.
The construction of the facility was proudly funded by the
City of Hobart in conjunction with Sport and Recreation Tasmania
and the Tasmanian Community Fund.
Deputy Lord Mayor Alderman R G Christie
Alderman M Zucco Alderman J R Briscoe
Alderman E R Ruzicka Alderman P T Sexton
Alderman H C Burnet Alderman P S Cocker
Alderman D C Thomas Alderman S R Cooper
Alderman A M Reynolds Alderman T M Denison
Plaque :
William Keith Eltham
1st Brigade, Australian Field Artillery
Lieutenant William Keith Eltham was a well-known Hobart cricket player who represented his State against international and interstate teams before enlisting at the outbreak of World War 1. He left on the first troopship out of Tasmania and was wounded at Gallipoli and again in France before being killed in action at Flers in France on 31 December 1916 at the age of 30.
Lieutenant Eltham worked as draftsman at the Hobart City Council and his artistic skills illustrated his wartime cards to friends and family that were sometimes reproduced in local newspapers. His death was reported in Hobart in the same week that people received his hand-drawn 1916 Christmas cards. He kept his small sketchbooks in the top pocket of his uniform and one may have saved his life as it was returned to his family with a bullet hole through the cover and first half of the book.
His cricketing career began with the old Wellington Club but in 1905 when district cricket was introduced, he joined the West Hobart Club where he was known for his batting prowess. He played in the Tasmanian team against touring English and South African sides anf against teams from Victoria and New South Wales.
While he excelled at cricket, he was also a member of the Derwent Rowing Club and singer in the Orpheus Club that was run by his father William C Eltham.
Acknowledgments : Thank you to Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue for suggesting this pavilion be named after Lieutenant Eltham and to his family, who have provided copies of his drawings and personal effects.
