Harold Vernon KELLY

Harold Vernon KELLY Update Details

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KELLY, Harold Vernon

Service Number:	863
Enlisted:	17 December 1914
Last Rank:	Trooper
Last Unit:	9th Light Horse Regiment
Born:	Hackney, South Australia, 25 October 1894
Home Town:	Prospect, Prospect, South Australia
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Switchboard attendant
Died:	Circumstances of death not yet discovered
Cemetery:	Dudley Park Cemetery, South Australia
Memorials:	Adelaide Gilles Street Primary School WW1 Honour Roll (New), Kurralta Park Employees of the Adelaide Electric Supply Company Limited Roll of Honour

World War 1 Service

17 Dec 1914:	Enlisted AIF WW1
1 Apr 1915:	Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 863, 9th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: ''
1 Apr 1915:	Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 863, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Port Lincoln, Adelaide
11 Nov 1918:	Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 863, 9th Light Horse Regiment
Date unknown:	Wounded 863, 9th Light Horse Regiment

Help us honour Harold Vernon Kelly's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography

Born 25 Oct 1894 in Hackney, Adelaide, South Australia
(SA Birth Record 1842 - 1906 Book: 552 Page: 66 District: Nor.)

Father John Francis KELLY
(b. 24/7/1871 Willaston, SA - d. 9/2/1940 in hospital, Adelaide, SA)
his parents - Harold's paternal grandparents
John KELLY and mother (grandmother) Mary Kelly (nee CAMPBELL).

17/5/1894 Marriage John Kelly (23 years old) and Edith Donnithorne (21 years old)
in St Ignatius, Norwood

Mother Edith Gertrude (nee DONNITHORNE) KELLY
(b. 6/12/1872 in New Hamburg, SA (now Willyaroo) - d. 30/7/1905 Adelaide, SA)
her parents - Harold's maternal grandparents
Father John DONNITHORNE and Mother: Bridget MCCUSKAR

4 children:
Harold Vernon KELLY                     b: 25/10/1894 in Hackney, Adelaide, SA
Edward Walter Montgomery KELLY b: 12/6/1898 in Adelaide, SA
                                                   - d. 6/1/1967 Tusmore, SA - Centennial Park Cemetery, SA)
John Mccelland KELLY                    b: 15/11/1901 in Adelaide, SA
Archibald Donnithorne KELLY          b: 30/7/1905 in Adelaide, SA

Prior to embarking he lived with his parents at 284 Pirie Street, Adelaide, South Australia.

Next of kin in service:
19726   Private "Walter Edward" KELLY    (Edward reversed his name to enlist)
            28/11/1916 enlisted into WWI (18 years old)
            8/8/1917      embarked from Sydney, NSW on board HMAT A68 Anchises
                               as a Sapper 16th reinforcements, 5th Divisional Signal Company (Engineers)

WWI - Service #863

Described on enlisting as 22 years months old; single;
Roman Catholic

17/12/1914 enlisted

1/4/1915 embarked from Outer Harbour, Port Adelaide on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln
as a Private in the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, 9th Light Horse Regiment, 4th Reinforcement

24/9/1917 Proceeded to rest camp, Port Said, Egypt

16/3/1919 returned to Australia on board HMAT Enterpedes

WWII - service #S68430

Wife: Evelyn Kelly, they lived at Prospect in South Australia.

Described on enlisting as years old; married

19/4/1942 enlisted into WWII

A Private with the 2nd Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps.

****service records need to be ordered through the National Archives of Australia
as they have not yet been scanned for viewing.****

20/9/1945 discharged from service in AIF.

Fran stated about her grandfather (whilst walking in Gallipoli in April 2015 for the 100 year anniversary):
"I was thinking of my grandfather, a quiet, reserved man, a distant but gentle presence in my early years. Like so many men who came home, he never talked about the war, nor did my father, who flew bombing missions during WWII. These two gentle men had undoubtedly seen and done the worst things, things they went on to shield their families and perhaps themselves from."

For and on behalf of Fran Kelly - grandaughter to Harold.
(Respected radio presenter, current affairs journalist and political correspondent,
Fran Kelly hosts the agenda-setting program RN Breakfast).

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 15/6/2015. Lest we forget.

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