Major Henry Kelly
VC,
MC & Bar (10 July 1887 – 18 July 1960) was an English recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces.
Kelly was born on 10 July 1887 in
Collyhurst
Collyhurst is an inner city area of Manchester, England, northeast of the Manchester city centre, city centre on Rochdale Road (A664) and A62 road, Oldham Road (A62), bounded by Smedley, Manchester, Smedley, Harpurhey and Monsall tram stop, Mons ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He was a temporary
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the 10th Battalion,
The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment 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 ...
at the time of his award of the Victoria Cross in 1916. He was awarded a Military Cross and later a Bar to that medal in Italy in 1918. Other Military awards include the
Belgian Croix de guerre
The ''Croix de guerre'' ( French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' (Dutch), both literally translating as "Cross of War", is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery ...
, the French
Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
and the Spanish
Grand Laurelled Cross of San Fernando.
Early life
Henry Kelly was born to Charles Kelly of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and Jane (née McGarry) of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He was left the oldest of 10 children after his father died in 1904. He was educated at St Patrick's School and
Xaverian College
Xaverian College is a Roman Catholic college in Manchester, England, south of the city centre in Rusholme. Established in 1862, Xaverian College has become one of the most oversubscribed Sixth form college in Greater Manchester, along with Lore ...
, both in Manchester. After moving to King Street in
Moston, he was employed as a sorting clerk at the Newton Street sorting office and trained with the 'Manchester Royal Engineers territorial Regiment'.On 5 September 1914, aged 27, he enlisted into the
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...
as a private. He transferred to the
Manchester Regiment
The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...
and became a lance corporal and two weeks later a sergeant major. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 12 May 1915 into the
Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.
In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...
(West Riding Regiment). On 29 October 1918 he was awarded the Victoria Cross, and, after being presented with his VC ribbon by the corps commander on 11 September, he was made a temporary lieutenant.
Award of Victoria Cross
![Manchester War Memorial 2018 09](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Manchester_War_Memorial_2018_09.jpg)
On 4 October 1916, when Kelly was 29 years old, he performed an act of bravery at
Le Sars
Le Sars is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Le Sars is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D11 and the D929 roads.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of St.Pi ...
, France, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Later he was also awarded the
Belgian Croix de guerre
The ''Croix de guerre'' ( French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' (Dutch), both literally translating as "Cross of War", is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery ...
and the French
Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
.
[Manchesters Military and Civilian Heroes – Henry Velly VC MC](_blank)
Award of Military Cross
In June 1918, as a Captain serving in the 10th Battalion, Kelly saw action in Italy on the
Asiago
Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in ...
Plateau, where he led a company and a half on a successful raid on Ave, to the south of Asiago, on the night of 21–22 June, after which he was awarded the Military Cross.
Award of Bar to Military Cross
Kelly was involved in later actions on
Il Montello above the
river Piave On 27 October 1918 during the
Piave he led another successful attack across the Piave, after which he was awarded a bar to his Military Cross.
Kelly left the army in 1920, having been promoted to the rank of Temporary Major and put in charge of a rest camp in France.
Between the wars
Kelly spent 1922–1923 in the
Irish National Army
The National Army, sometimes unofficially referred to as the Free State army or the Regulars, was the army of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until October 1924. Its role in this period was defined by its service in the Irish Civil War, ...
during the
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
, then later joined the
International Brigades
The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...
, in 1936, as a foreign volunteer fighting against
Fascists
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
and was ranked Commandante General. Here he was awarded the
Grand Laurelled Cross of San Fernando.
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, aged 52, he rejoined the British army and served from thence as a lieutenant in the
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...
. From October 1943 until February 1944 he was placed in charge of the District Claims office of London District, at Curzon Street. He was at that time
court martialled and severely reprimanded for making an allegedly false claim for £2 10s. He later resigned his commission and left the army to return to work for the post office.
Post war
![Henry Kelly, VC grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Henry_Kelly%2C_VC_grave.JPG)
Kelly continued to work for the post office and lived in
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the ...
, Manchester. Following a long illness Kelly died, on 18 January 1960, in
Prestwich Hospital
Prestwich Hospital was a mental health facility in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England.
History
The site was selected at Prestwich Woods and acquired from Oswald Milne, a solicitor, in 1847. The hospital was designed by Isaac Holden, a Manche ...
. He was buried in
Southern Cemetery, Manchester
Southern Cemetery is a large municipal cemetery in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, south of the city centre. It opened in 1879 and is owned and administered by Manchester City Council. It is the largest municipal cemetery in the United ...
.
Medal location
Kelly's Victoria Cross is displayed in The Duke of Wellington's Regimental Museum, located within the
Bankfield Museum,
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...
, England.
Duke of Wellington's Regimental Website
References
Further reading
*Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross
List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...
(Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
*Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 36 ...
(David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fol ...
(This England, 1997)
*VCs of the First World War - The Somme
''VCs of the First World War'' is a series of books that list the Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War. The series consists of 13 books written by four different authors, first published under the label Sutton Publishing Limited, part ...
(Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Henry
1887 births
1960 deaths
Manchester Regiment soldiers
Duke of Wellington's Regiment officers
Cheshire Regiment officers
People from Moston, Manchester
British people of the Spanish Civil War
British Army personnel of World War I
British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Army personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
Recipients of the Military Cross
English people of Irish descent
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
Burials at Southern Cemetery, Manchester
Military personnel from Manchester
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders soldiers