Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Francis Henry Kelly (26 July 1859 – 18 March 1937) was Commander of British Troops in South China.

Military career

Kelly was commissioned into the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 6 April 1879. He took part in the Burma expedition in 1885, was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 1 April 1889, and then went to the North West Frontier in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1897 where he participated in the

Tirah Campaign The Tirah campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah expedition, was an Indian frontier campaign from September 1897 to April 1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country in what was formally known as Federally ...

, during which he was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 October 1897. Following the campaign he received a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 20 May 1898. He was appointed temporary assistant adjutant-general in

Quetta District Quetta ( ps, کوټه, bal, , ur, ) is a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, on the border with Kandahar province, Afghanistan. It is part of Quetta Division. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, ...

on 23 June 1900 (while the actual A.A.G. served in the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

in China), serving as such for several years. He was further appointed Commander of the Karachi Brigade in 1905 and Commander of the Ahmednagar Brigade in 1907. After that he became Commander of British Troops in South China in 1913Hong Kong Legislative Council
/ref> and General Officer Commanding 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division in November 1915 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before retiring in 1918. After the War he became a Regional Director at the Ministry of Pensions. Memorial to Maj Gen Francis Henry Kelly in Rochester Cathedral

Memorial to Maj Gen Francis Henry Kelly in Rochester Cathedral

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Francis 1859 births 1937 deaths Burials in Kent British Army major generals Military personnel from Bristol British Army generals of World War I Royal Engineers officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Burmese War