Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

4148 Corporal Harold John Kelly

(Extract from “The Life of David Kelly 1870-1939” written by his son David A Kelly)

"'Wirrilla' was a sheep station subdivision and our homestead portion consisted of 1200 acres of mostly virgin country carrying a good covering of peppermint gums plus some sheoak timber. Years 1913-1914 must have been of low rainfall as I remember the big dam being dry when we arrived, but never experienced it dry ever after.

Lots of hard work clearing for farming and with war years coming that period meant hard work for all the family. I well remember a nephew of Dad's (Uncle Jack's Harold) arriving soon after we settled in with a team of horses and a wagon, some of the horses names were Warwick a big brown, Britt a red bay, Bonnie, Barney & Bell a baldy faced young mare and then there was old Duke - deaf as a post, an advantage according to Dad in standing when the saw bench excited all other horses."

Harold Kelly would only have worked for his uncle, David Kelly of Wirilla, for a short period of time before enlisting on 24 August 1915. Applications for the purchase of the Wirilla property only closed on 2 February of that year.

Born on 3 March 1890 in “Marocara” at Giles Corner, Harold was the son of John Hazel Kelly and Rose Ada Newland. Enlisting in Adelaide at the age of 25 Harold was initially appointed to B Company 2nd Depot Battalion. From 1 November he attended NCO training until 31 December and then on New Year’s Day 1918 Harold was promoted to Corporal and posted to 10th Reinforcements 27th Battalion at Morphettville.  A month later he was promoted to Acting Sergeant. Harold embarked from Adelaide aboard RMS Mongolia on 9 March 1916 and after landing in England was attached to the permanent training staff of 7th Training Battalion at Rolleston.

On 13 March 1917 Harold proceeded overseas to France where he was admitted to 2nd Division Base Depot at Etaples. Several days later he was taken on strength of 27th Battalion, just prior to the 27th engaging the Germans in an attack on Lagnicourt. Two months later Harold was struck down with influenza and admitted to hospital. He rejoined his battalion on 11 June but the following day was evacuated by the 5th Australian Field Ambulance to 56th Casualty Clearing Station. Diagnosed with trench fever Harold was admitted to 1st Australian General Hospital at Rouen. After six days he was discharged to 2nd Convalescent Depot and then to 11th Convalescent Depot at Buchy. On 6 October, after 3 months at Buchy, Harold was discharged to Base depot at Havre and from there proceeded to rejoin his unit. It took three days for Harold to get to Belgium where the 27th Battalion was in action at Ypres.

During late October 1917, the 27th Battalion was subjected to heavy bombardments of Mustard Gas and Chlorine shells. By the 4 November many of the men were coughing and suffering from sore throats due to the effects of the gas. Harold was wounded by these shell gas attacks on the first day, 29 October, and was evacuated from the trenches by 3rd Australian Field Ambulance to 17th Casualty Clearing Station. He was placed on an Ambulance train and rushed to 20th General Hospital at Camiers where he was admitted for six days. Harold was invalided to England aboard the hospital ship HMHS Stad Antwerp on 5 November and admitted to 2nd Military Hospital at Old Park in Canterbury.

On 22 November Harold was transferred to Military Hospital at Chatham in Canterbury and then on 23 January 1918 was transferred to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford for five days before finally being discharged to 4th Command Depot at Hurdcott. He marched out to Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge, Deverill on 16 March and then on 2 April proceeded overseas to France. After a week in the Base Depot at Havre he rejoined the 27th Battalion.

Two months later, on 10 June 1918, 27th Battalion participated in a successful bayonet attack on the German trenches near Morlancourt but in this engagement Harold received a gunshot wound which fractured his left arm. The 5th Australian Field Ambulance evacuated Harold to 61th Casualty Clearing Station where he was placed on an ambulance train and taken to 13th USA General Hospital. After seventeen days Harold embarked for England on the hospital ship HMHS St Denis and was admitted to Shorncliffe Military Hospital.

The war would be over by the time Harold, who had been transferred to 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield on 17 September, was discharged to 2nd Command Depot at Weymouth. On Christmas Eve 1918 Harold left England on SS Takada and disembarked in Adelaide on 4 February 1919. It would be another 14 months before he was discharged on 12 April 1920.

On 15 May 1920 Harold married 18 year old Doris Ann Neside at Maylands. In 1924, while living at West Croydon, Harold reported Doris missing, stating in a newspaper article that she had disappeared on January 16 and that he feared that she had met with mis-adventure. In March Doris wrote to her parents saying she was in good health and staying with friends in Melbourne.