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Captain
HARRY HOLDSWORTH KELLY
Royal Engineers
 

by 

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MinstRE
(January 2024)


Figure 1. Captain Harry Holdsworth Kelly, R.E.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum) 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

            Harry Kelly came from a prominent naval and military family.  His father served in the Royal Marines Artillery, retiring in 1883 as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.  Two of his brothers became Admirals in the Royal Navy and had illustrious careers and his eldest brother reach the rank of Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General) in the Royal Artillery during the Great War of 1914-1918.  Unfortunately, Harry’s death in the early months of the Great War cut short his life and military career.  He had the potential to rise to a high rank in the Army, perhaps even to a General-officer rank.

 

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Family Information

            Harry Holdsworth Kelly was born in the Staff Officers’ House, Eastney Barracks, in Portsmouth, Hampshire on 24 August 1880.  His father, Henry Holdsworth Kelly (1842-1919), was at the time a Captain in the Royal Marines Artillery.  Harry’s mother was Elizabeth Eleanor Kelly, née Collum (1842-1929).[1]  When Harry was born, the Kellys already had three sons; Henry Edward Theodore Kelly (1870-1932) who rose to the rank of Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General), C.B., C.M.G. in the Royal Artillery (see Annex C), John Donald Kelly, who later was Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Donald Kelly, G.C.B., G.C.V.O. in the Royal Navy (see Annex A).[2]  Harry’s third brother, William Archibald Howard Kelly, G.B.E, K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O., also served in the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Admiral (see Annex B).[3]           

Early Life

            Harry Kelly entered Rugby School in 1894 with a Modern Language Scholarship.  In 1896 he passed sixth from Rugby into the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.[4]  He entered the R.M.A. in February 1897 and remained there until February 1899.  He was an Under Officer at Woolwich and he played on the schools first XV Rugby team.  As he was a gigantic 6 feet 6 inches tall, he made a formidable rugby player.  He also won the R.M.A. Boxing Medal in 1898.[5] 

On 2 September 1898, while he was studying at Woolwich, the great Battle of Omdurman took place near Khartoum in the Sudan.  Little did Kelly know at that time that in just over five years he would be serving in that very place.   

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING 

Commissioning 

            Upon the successful completion of his studies at Woolwich, Harry Kelly was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 8 March 1899.  In April he was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham for further training as an engineer officer.[6] 

            While he was at Chatham it appears that in 1901 he won the Army and Navy Heavyweight Boxing Championship at Aldershot.  At the time he also was a member of the United Services Club and the Royal Automobile Club of London.[7] 

Training 

His training at the S.M.E. would consist the study of field fortifications, construction, surveying, telegraphy, electric lighting, submarine mining, photography, chemistry, military law and tactics.  The courses in construction and surveying would be especially useful to him over the next decade as his work in the Sudan would be very demanding and would require a thorough background in both subjects.           

4.  POSTINGS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Malta (1901-1903) 

            Upon completion of his training at Chatham, 2nd Lieutenant Kelly was posted to Malta.  At the time of his posting to Malta there were three companies of Royal Engineers located there: the 24th Company (Fortress), the 28th Company (Submarine Miners) and the 31st Company (Fortress).  It is not known to which of these companies Kelly may have been assigned. 

            His posting to Malta from Chatham was probably a surprise to him as the war against the Boers in South Africa was still underway in 1901 and 1902.  His Malta posting denied him the opportunity to see active service as so many of his contemporaries were experiencing. 

Egypt and the Sudan (1903-1913) 

On 25 July 1901 while serving at Malta, Kelly was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.  He continued to serve at Malta until 9 November 1903 when he was seconded to the Egyptian Army and was slated to be the Assistant Director of Public Works in the Sudan.[8]  On 13 November he reported to the office of the Director of Works, Lieutenant Colonel Lovick Bransby Friend, R.E.[9] in Cairo.  While working with Lieutenant Colonel Friend, Kelly became a member of the Cairo Turf Club.  He was known to all as “Long” Kelly because of his stature and it also was known that he was a heavy-weight Services’ Boxing Champion.  He was described as a fine engineer who was well suited to the needs of the country.  He worked in Khartoum and outlying stations until Lieutenant Colonel Friend sent him to build Port Sudan.[10] 

On 7 January 1904 Lieutenant Kelly was initiated into the Khartoum Masonic Lodge, No. 2877 E.C.; that is, he completed the first Masonic degree, during which he was introduced to the values and symbolism of Freemasonry.  At the time he was resident in Khartoum and probably had many opportunities to visit the Omdurman battlefield, the scene of the Dervish defeat in September 1898.  The Khartoum Lodge had been consecrated on 19 December 1902.  It was the first introduction of English freemasonry in the Sudan and Kelly was one of its early brothers.[11] 

From 1904 to 1908 Kelly was the resident engineer for the construction of the town and harbour of Port Sudan.  During 1906 and 1907 he also assisted in the establishment of a hill station at Erkowit, working with Captain MacDougal Ralston Kennedy, R.E.[12] and Lieutenant E.E.B. Mackintosh, R.E.[13]   

In February 1906 Kelly rode southwards from Port Sudan about 60 miles and ascended the Khor Wintri to Erkowit, where he found six wooden huts and some buildings used during the hot weather by officials from Suakin.  The site was bare of vegetation, but it had a good supply of water, and Kelly reported that it was suitable for a hill station provided that permanent bungalows were built and a road constructed to the Nile-Red Sea railway at Sinkat.  As a result of Kelly’s report, the scheme was approved and Erkowit was taken in hand under the Director of Public Works (see Map 1 below).[14]   

On 8 March 1908 Kelly was promoted to Captain and was appointed to the position of Director of the Roads and Communications Section of the Public Works Department and on 28 June he was awarded the 4th Class Order of Osmanieh by the Egyptian government for his services at Port Sudan (see Section 5 below).[15] 

            Captain Kelly was “passed” in the Khartoum Masonic Lodge on 21 January 1909, wherein he moved on to the Fellowcraft or second degree.  During this degree he explored the meanings behind more complex symbols and delved deeper into the philosophical aspects of Freemasonry.  On 4 March 1909 he was “raised” to the highest rank, the third and final degree, the Master Mason degree within the Lodge.[16] 


Map 1.  Eastern and Southern Sudan.
(Image from SANDES)         

            During February and March 1910 Captain Kelly took part in operations against the Atwot tribe in Bahr-el-Ghazal Province in Egypt (see Map 2).  For his service during these operations he was awarded the Khedive’s Sudan Medal, 1910 (see Section 5 below).[17]

 


Map 2.  The Southern Sudan.

(Image from SANDES)


            On 6 June 1910 Captain Kelly served as a member of the Lado Enclave Commission under Captain Hugh Drummond Pearson, R.E. along with Captain C.H. Stigand, Royal West Kent Regiment and Captain T.C. Mackenzie, R.A.M.C.  The Lado Enclave was an enclave of the Congo Free State that existed from 1894 until 1910, leased by the British to King Leopold II of Belgium for the period of his lifetime. Rejaf was the terminus for boats on the Nile and the seat of the Commander, the only European colonial official within the enclave.  Transfer of the Lado region to Egypt was made by Belgium at Yei as a result of the work of this Commission (see Map 1).[18]

 

            In 1912 Captain Kelly was again in the field with the Egyptian Army serving as an Intelligence Officer in the operations against the Beir and Anuak tribes in South Eastern Sudan.  He and Major Pearson marched with separate columns operating against the Beirs, who inhabited a part of the Mongalla Province in the far south (see Map 2).  For his service in these operations, Kelly was awarded the Sudan 1912 clasp to the Khedive’s Sudan 1910 medal and the  3rd Class Order of the Medjidieh, for which he was qualified with the local Egyptian rank of Lieutenant Colonel (see Section 5 below).[19]

 

            In 1913 Kelly served as Commissioner for the Sudan Government in the Sudan-Uganda Boundary Commission.  He was responsible for the reconnaissance of the Boma Plateau.  This survey and reconnaissance work was most arduous, with all members of Kelly’s party bearing the burden of the heat in South Sudan.  Working with Kelly was Major Pearson, Captain A.E. Cunningham, R.E. and Lieutenant A.G. McNeill, R.E.  For this work Kelly was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Osmanieh by the Egyptians (see Section 5 below).[20]

 


Figure 2.  The Cover of Captain Kelly’s Diary.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)


            Captain Kelly's personal account of the Sudan-Uganda Boundary Commission of 1913 provides fresh and important insights into the process of imperial boundary-making. The Commission set out with good intentions but their desire to avoid dividing tribes was complicated by inadequate information, shortages of food and water, and fundamental differences of personality and outlook between Kelly and the chief Uganda Commissioner, Tunfell. The boundary they devised survives almost unchanged to this day, even though parts of it were never visited by the Commission. Imperial geopolitics provide the setting for a fascinating day by day account of the Commission on the march, and of the African tribes they encountered, some of which were uncooperative and hostile. Harry Kelly emerges from the pages of his diary as a fine leader, most conscientious surveyor and a man of unusual enlightenment for his time.[21]  

England (1913-1914) 

            On 8 November 1913 Captain Kelly rejoined the British Establishment from the Egyptian Army after 10 years in Egypt and the Sudan.  By this time he had already become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for all of his survey and exploration work in the north of Africa.  He resigned his membership in the Khartoum Masonic Lodge on 14 December[22] and on 17 April 1914, while at Aldershot, he received final approval to accept the Third Class of the Imperial Ottoman Order of the Osmanieh.[23]  On 28 May 1914, while at Aldershot, Kelly joined the Aldershot Army & Navy Masonic Lodge, No. 1971.[24] 

France and Flanders (1914) 

            Captain Kelly was posted to the 38th Field Company with the 6th Division in August 1914.  The division had been in Cork, Ireland when the Great War broke out, and it was immediately mobilized.  Other engineer units of the division at that time included the 12th Field Company and the 6th Divisional Signal Company.  The Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.) was Lieutenant Colonel G.C. Kemp, R.E.  Upon mobilization the division was ordered to concentrate near Cambridge.[25] 

            The 6th Division landed at St. Nazaire on 10 September 1914.[26]  During the period from 12 September to 12 October 1914, Kelly’s company was involved in the actions on the Aisne heights in support of the 18th Infantry Brigade.[27]  From 13 to 24 October Kelly and his company took part in the Battle of Armentières in support of the 19th Infantry Brigade[28] and on 24 October Captain Kelly was killed in action at Bois Grenier.  The Officer Commanding the 38th Field Company at the time of Kelly’s death was Major F.M. Browne.  Browne wrote the following to Kelly’s family, describing his death:[29] 

"He was killed early this morning while on duty in the trenches. He was struck by two bullets, one in the head and one in the back, and I feel sure that death was instantaneous and painless. We were enabled to recover his body, which was today buried simply by the chaplain in the presence of all the Company. His grave lies by the roadside near a pretty country town and we are at present erecting a cross and railings to enclose it.... I need hardly tell you what a great loss your son's death is to me, both as a friend and an officer. He was invaluable to me in every way and the country has lost in him a most valuable officer"

And writing home from a Colchester Hospital, Lieutenant Arthur Evans, Royal Engineers (of Carnarvon), paid a tribute to the bravery and kindness shown by Captain Kelly, who commanded his Company, in attending to him when he was wounded, four days before Captain Kelly himself was killed. The letter states:[30]

"It was a great blow to me to read of Kelly having been killed in action just after I had written him a letter thanking him for being so decent to me after I was hit. He came down to me some miles from Company Headquarters to the trenches, which must have been under heavy fire, saw me into the dressing station, and did not leave me until just before I left in the ambulance wagon. The dressing station was under fire, and was struck by a shell just before I got away. He was a fine man, 6 ft. 6 in. in his socks, beautifully built, popular and known everywhere, and I was very proud of his friendship."

            The Sirdar of Egypt and another brother officer testified to the gallantry of Captain Kelly with the following words:[31]

" It was not only total absence of fear, but absolutely sound judgment and capacity for carrying a thing through, and readiness to take responsibility, which made him a marked man. He was so big and cheery, never depressed however tired and hardworked he might be, and did his duty gallantly. Although exposed daily and nightly to possibly greater risks than others, he was always willing and helpful and a pattern to all."


" He was greatly loved and admired by his comrades. Had he lived he would have gone far—very far indeed."  

            Harry Holdworth Kelly was buried at Ration Farm Military Cemetery at La Chapelle-D’Armentieres, Section VII, Row B, Grave 32.  He was 34 years of age. 

            Probate of his Will took place at London on 2 January 1915.  His effects were left to his mother, Elizabeth Eleanor Kelly in the amount of £1,727, 10 shillings and 11 pence (about $210,200 US in 2023 currency).[32] 

5. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

      Captain Kelly received the decorations and medals shown below for his service in the Egyptian Army and with the British Army during the Great War of 1914-1918.

 

Figure 3. Third Class Order of the Osmanieh (left).
Figure 4.Third Class Order of Medjidieh (right)
(Images courtesy of Wikipedia) 

            In Figure 1 he is shown wearing the Third Class Order of the Osmanieh as a neck badge.  He also is shown wearing the Khedive’s Sudan Medal, 1910 in that photograph, with the clasp [1912].

 
Figure 5.  Medal of the 4th Class Order of Osmanieh (left).
Figure 6.  The Khedive’s Sudan Medal with Clasp [1912] (center).
(Images courtesy of Wikipedia)

Figure 7.  The 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal trio (right)
(Image from the author’s collection) 

NOTE: None of the medals shown above are those of Captain Kelly.  They are presented here for illustrative purposes only. 


Figure 8.  Captain Kelly’s Great War Medal Index Card (front)
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 


Figure 9.  Captain Kelly’s Great War Medal Index Card (back)
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            Searches were made in The London Gazette to see if Kelly had been awarded a Military Cross or at least a Mention in Despatches for his service in France.  All searches produced negative results.  It is thought that surely he would have been mentioned in despatches at some point, given the testimony of his actions at the front by his brother officers. 

            Kelly received his Egyptian awards prior to going to France.  As shown on his Medal Index Card, his mother applied to the War Office for his 1914 Star on 22 January 1918 while she was living at 2 Malvern Road in Southsea, Hampshire.  After some delay she applied for the clasp and rosette that he was authorized for his 1914 Star.  When she made this second request, Mrs. Kelly was living at 18 St. Andrews Road in Southsea.  Another address shown on the Medal Index Card is the address of Kelly’s father, Colonel H.H. Kelly at Montrose House on Merton Road in Southsea.  This address probably was entered on the card early in the war when Colonel and Mrs. Kelly were living at that address.  When Colonel Kelly died on 6 November 1919, Mrs. Kelly probably found it necessary to move into a smaller home. 

            The Royal Engineers medal roll for the British War Medal and Victory Medals indicates that the medals were issued to the Kelly family on 5 September 1921.  Colonel Kelly may never have seen any of his sons campaign medals for the Great War. 


Figure 10.  Captain Harry Holdsworth Kelly, R.E.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)


 

ANNEX A
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Donald Kelly, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.
Royal Navy
(13 July 1871 – 4 November 1936)
 


Figure 11.  Admiral Sir John Donald Kelly, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 


Figure 12.  The Service Medals of Admiral Kelly.
(Image courtesy of Morton & Eden Auctions) 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Donald Kelly G.C.B, G.C.V.O. served in the Great War as commanding officer of the cruiser HMS Dublin which came close to intercepting the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben. After the War he took charge of a naval force dispatched to strengthen the Mediterranean Fleet during the Chanak Crisis. After serving as Fourth Sea Lord and then commander of the 1st Battle Squadron, Kelly, known for his skill in personnel matters, was asked to take command of the Atlantic Fleet in the aftermath of the Invergordon Mutiny. He rapidly restored discipline and issued a report which was quite critical of the Admiralty Board's handling of the pay cuts issue in the first place. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.


ANNEX B
Admiral Sir William Archibald Howard Kelly, G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O.
Royal Navy
(6 September 1873 – 14 September 1952)

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 


Figure 13.  Admiral Sir William Archibald Howard Kelly, G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Admiral Sir William Archibald Howard Kelly G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O. (6 September 1873 – 14 September 1952) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, China Station.   

Kelly joined the Royal Navy in 1886. He was posted as a lieutenant to the protected cruiser HMS Spartiate in late March 1902, went to Somaliland in 1902 and became naval attaché in Paris in 1911.

He served in the Great War as commanding officer of HMS Gloucester, taking part in the pursuit of Goeben and Breslau (his brother John Kelly was commanding officer of Gloucester's sister ship Dublin during the same engagement). From 1917 he was commander of the 8th Light Cruiser Squadron. In 1918 he was given command of the British Adriatic Force.

In May 1919, First Sea Lord Rosslyn Wemyss appointed Kelly as head of British Naval Mission to Greece. Kelly discovered the Hellenic Navy in a run-down condition after the Allies had emptied its stores during the course of World War I without paying any compensation. Kelly went on to reorganize the Wireless Telegraphy Service and establish the Hydrographic and a Naval Works Department. The gunlayer, range taker and instructor naval ratings were introduced, while conscript intakes were increased from two to three per year. A new scheme for treating malaria and venereal diseases was implemented in the navy. Naval regulations and instructions were systematically revised and Greek officers were selected to be trained in British naval schools. Kelly's mission concluded in October 1921.

He became Commander of the 1st Battle Squadron in the Atlantic Fleet in 1923 and commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in 1925. He went on to be Admiralty representative to the League of Nations in 1927 and commander of the 1st Battle Squadron and second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1929. His last appointment was intended to be Commander-in-Chief, China Station in 1931. He was on board the minesweeper HMS Petersfield when it ran aground at Tungyung Island in November 1931 – all aboard were rescued. Then, following the 28 January incident, he used his influence to seek a ceasefire between the Chinese and Japanese forces. He retired in 1936.  He was recalled in 1940, during the Second World War, to be British Naval Representative in Turkey; he retired again in 1944.


ANNEX C
A Summary of the Military Service of Colonel Henry Edward Theodore Kelly, C.B., C.M.G.
Royal Artillery
(1870 – 1932)
 


Figure 14.  Royal Artillery Blazer Badge, pre 1953.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

11 February 1890:       Gazetted 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery.[33] 

14 February 1893:       Promoted Lieutenant.[34] 

1897-1898;                  Served in the campaign on the North West Frontier of India under Sir William Lockhart with No. 2 Derajat Mountain Battery with the Kohat-Kurram Field Force, including the relief of the Samana Forts, and with the Tirah Expeditionary Force including the capture of the Sampagha and Arbanga Passes, and in the operations in the Maidan and Bazar Valleys including the engagement at Kahu Pass.  He was awarded the India General Service Medal, 1896, with clasps [MALAKAND 1897][SAMANA 1897] and [TIRAH 1897-98].[35] 

19 January 1900:         Promoted Captain.[36] 

April 1900:              Serving in South Africa as a Special Service Officer, extra-Regimentally employed.[37] 

23 March 1907:           Promoted Major.[38] 

1910:              Serving as an Instructor (1st Class) at the School of Gunnery, Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery.[39]

30 October 1914:        Promoted Lieutenant Colonel.[40] 

16 November 1914:    Serving as a Staff Captain at the War Office.[41] 

22 June 1915:              Mentioned in Despatches while serving with XXXI Brigade, Royal Artillery.[42]  This brigade was at Sheffield when war was declared and at that time comprised 131, 132 and 133 Batteries RFA.  The batteries left and were placed under orders of 27th Division and XXXI was then reorganized at Winchester on 22-23 December 1914. It was then joined by 69, 100 and 103 Batteries. The brigade was placed under orders of the 28th Division and remained in that formation throughout the rest of the war. 

23 June 1915:              Appointed to be a Companion, Third Class of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.).[43]

6 December 1916:       Mentioned in Despatches.[44]

9 December 1916:       Lieutenant Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General) awarded the Franch Croix de Guerre.[45]

4 June 1917:                Promoted Brevet Colonel.[46]

21 July 1917:              Mentioned in Despatches.[47]

11 June 1918:              Mentioned in Despatches.[48]

9 November 1918:      Awarded the Egyptian Order of the Redeemer, 3rd Class Commander (Brevet Colonel, Temporary Brigadier General).[49]

1 January 1919:           Appointed to the Military Division of the Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.).[50]

25 February 1919:       Relinquishes the temporary rank of Brigadier-General.[51]

30 October 1919:        Upon completing five years’ service as Regimental Lieutenant Colonel he was placed on the half pay list. To be Colonel with seniority from 30 October 1918.[52]

2 March 1920:             Appointed Commander, Territorial Force Royal Artillery.[53]

NOTE:  No Medal Index Card could be located for his Great War service medals.  It may be assumed that he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.


 ANNEX D

A Summary of the Service of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Holdworth Kelly

Royal Marines Artillery

(1842 – 1919) 


Figure 15.  Royal Marine Artillery Officer’s Helmet Plate, c. 1879-1905.
(Image courtesy of pinterest) 

2 May 1859:                Gazetted a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marines Artillery.[54] 

7 April 1859:               Serving as a Second Lieutenant, R.M.A. at Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.[55] 

26 April 1861:             Promoted First Lieutenant.[56] 

2 April 1871:               Serving as a Lieutenant, R.M.A. at Clifton, Gloucestershire.[57] 

23 February 1872:       Promoted Captain.[58] 

3 April 1881:               Serving as a Staff Captain, R.M.A. at Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.[59] 

13 December 1881:     Promoted Temporary Major.[60] 

15 February 1883:       On half pay.[61]  Serving as the Paymaster, R.M.A. 

19 September 1885:    Retired.  Appointed Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.[62] 

5 April 1891:               An Honorary Lieutenant Colonel (retired) living at Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.[63] 

1 July 1891:                Promoted to the substantive rank of Major, R.M.A.[64] 

31 March 1901:           Retired Lieutenant Colonel, R.M.A., living at Portsmouth, Hampshire.[65] 

2 April 1911:               Retired Lieutenant Colonel, R.M.A., living at Portsmouth, Hampshire.[66] 

6 November 1919:      Died at Portsmouth, Hampshire.[67] 

16 January 1920:         Probate of Will in London.  Effects to Henry Edward Theodore Kelly,(*) C.B., C.M.G., Royal Artillery and Hilda Margaret Catherine Kelly,(+) C.B.E., spinster.  Effects values at £3,222, 11 shillings and 6 pence (about $199,300 US in 2023 currency).[68] 

                                    (*) Henry Edward Theodore Kelly (1870-1932) was his son.

                                    (+) Hilda Margaret Catherine Kelly (1875-1953) was his daughter.

 

REFERENCES: 

Army Lists 

1.      Hart’s Annual Army List, 1866, p. 477.

2.      Hart’s Annual Army List, 1885, p. 584

3.      Hart’s Annual Army List, 1895, p. 176.

4.      Hart’s Annual Army List, 1900, p. 172.

5.      The Monthly Army List, April 1900, pp. 30f, 239, 426 and 456.

6.      The Annual Army List, 1901, p. 215.

7.      Hart’s Annual Army List, 1902, p. 171.

8.      The Monthly Army List, April 1903, p. 456.

9.      The Monthly Army List, May 1903, p. 456.

10.  The Monthly Army List, June 1903, p. 456.

11.  The Annual Army List, 1907, pp. 56 and 455.

12.  Hart’s Annual Army List, 1910, pp. 73, 130, and 204.

13.  The Annual Army List, 1911, pp. 1947.

14.  The Monthly Army List, January 1911, p. 900.

15.  The Monthly Army List, December 1912, pp. 129 and 798.

16.  The Monthly Army List, April 1914, p. 797. 

Books 

1.      De Ruvigny, MarquisBiographical Record of All Members of His Majesty’s Naval and Military Forces Who have Fallen in the War.  Volume I.  The Standard Art Book Company, Ltd., December 1916.

2.      KELLY, H.H.  Imperial Boundary Making: The Diary of Captain Kelly and the Sudan-Uganda Boundary Commission of 1913.  Oxford University Press, 1997.

3.      KEOWN-BOYD, H.  SOLDIERS OF THE NILE: A Biographical History of the British Officers of the Egyptian Army, 1882-1925.  Thornbury Publications, The Old Rectory, Thornbury Nr. Bromyard, Herts, 1996, p. 112.

4.      SANDES, E.W.C.  The Royal Engineers in Egypt and the Sudan.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1937, pp. 305, 403, 462-463, 480, 482-484, 487-488, 497-499 and 502.

5.      WATSON, C.M.  History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, Volume III.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1954, pp. 185 and 238. 

Census 

1.      1861 Census of England, Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8767/images/HAMRG9_644_646-0160?pId=7879679

2.      1871 Census of England, Clifton, Gloucestershire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7619/images/GLSRG10_2538_2540-0467?pId=1065048

3.      1881 Census of England, Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7572/images/HAMRG11_1162_1165-0275?pId=6658534

4.      1891 Census of England, Landport, Portsea, Hampshire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6598/images/HAMRG12_872_874-0296?pId=17265902

5.      1901 Census of England, Landport, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7814/images/HAMRG13_1001_1003-0400?pId=6818681

6.      1911 Census of England and Wales, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_05618_0653_03?pId=42526829

7.      Khartoum Masonic Lodge No. 2877.

https://issuu.com/cloudy242/docs/ckmay21/s/12452699

8.      6th Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/6th-division/ 

Civil Documents 

1.      1915 Probate Calendar, p. 365.

2.      1920 Probate Calendar, p. 411.

3.      Ireland’s Memorial Records, 1914-1918.

4.      The 1921 Masonic Roll of Honour, 1914-1918. 

Family Trees 

1.      Harry Holdsworth Kelly (by Heather Clyde).

2.      Henry Holdsworth Kelly (by Heather Clyde). 

Internet Web Sites 

1.      Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/58591/harry-holdsworth-kelly/

2.      Durham University Library.

https://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s1rf55z772c.xml

3.      Find A Grave.

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3439476:60541?ssrc=pt&tid=52843398&pid=26131541118

4.      Masonic Great War Project.

https://www.masonicgreatwarproject.org.uk/legend.php?id=1745

5.      Morton & Eden Auctions

https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mortonandeden/browse?a=1403&l=1509397 

6.      Rejaf.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejaf

7.      Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/357402920439652270/ 

London and Edinburgh Gazettes 

1.      The London Gazette, 30 April 1861, p. 1851.

2.      The London Gazette, 13 December 1881, p. 6661.

3.      The London Gazette, 4 April 1893, p. 2079.

4.      The London Gazette, 24 March 1908, p. 2262.

5.      The London Gazette, 21 April 1914, p. 3293.

6.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 2 November 1914, pp. 8858 and 8859.

7.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 28 December 1914, p. 11124.

8.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 23 June 1915, pp. 6113 and 6114.

9.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 December 1916, p. 12039.

10.  Supplement to the London Gazette, 4 June 1917, p. 5464.

11.  Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 November 1918, p. 13275.

12.  The Edinburgh Gazette, 7 January 1919, p. 115.

13.  Supplement to the London Gazette, 24 April 1919, p. 5175.

14.  Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 October 1919, pp. 13218 and 13222.

15.  Supplement to the London Gazette, 25 March 1920, pp. 2629 and 3630. 

Military Documents 

1.      List of Officers in Operations Against the Atwot Tribe, Bahr-el-Ghazal Province, Egypt, February – March 1910 (WO 100/407).

2.      Medal Index Card of Captain Harry Holdsworth Kelly, R.E.

3.      Royal Engineers Medal Roll, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

4.      War Diary, 38th Field Company, 1914-1915.

5.      Mention In Despatches Index Card, Lieutenant Colonel H.E.T. Kelly, London Gazette, 22 June 1915, p. 5984.

6.      Mention In Despatches Index Card, Lieutenant Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General) H.E.T. Kelly, CMG, London Gazette, 6 December 1916, p. 11936.

7.      Mention In Despatches Index Card, Lieutenant Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General) H.E.T. Kelly, CMG,  London Gazette, 21 July 1917, p. 7449.

8.      Mention In Despatches Index Card, Lieutenant Colonel and Brevet Colonel (Temporary Brigadier-General) H.E.T. Kelly, London Gazette, 11 June 1918, p. 6218. 

Periodicals 

The Royal Engineers Journal.  Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

 

ENDNOTES:

[1] Family Tree.

[2] The Kellys eldest son, Henry Edward Theodore Kelly (1870-1932) had no naval or military service.

[3] Wikipedia.

[4] Rugby School web site.

[5] Roll of Honour.

[6] The Monthly Army List, April 1900.

[7] Roll of Honour.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Later Major General, KBE, CB.

[10] SANDES, pp. 480-481.

[11] Khartoum Lodge web site.

[12] Later Colonel, CMG, DSO.  Deceased: 2 November 1924.

[13] Later Colonel, DSO.

[14] SANDES, p. 487.

[15] Roll of Honour.

[16] Freemason web site.

[17] War Office Roll WO 100/407 and the Roll of Honour.

[18] SANDES, P. 403.

[19] Roll of Honour and SANDES, p. 305.

[20] Royal Engineers Corps History, Volume III.

[21] Imperial Boundary Making by H.H. KELLY.

[22] Freemason web site.

[23] The London Gazette, 21 April 1914.

[24] Freemason web site.

[25] 38th Field Company War Diary.

[26] The Long, Long Trail.

[27] Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Roll of Honour.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Rugby School Archives.

[32] Probate calendar.

[33] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1895.

[34] The London Gazette, 4 April 1893.

[35] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1900.

[36] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1902.

[37] Monthly Army List, April 1900.

[38] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1910.

[39] Ibid.

[40] The London Gazette, 2 November 1914.

[41] Supplement to the London Gazette, 28 December 1914.

[42] MID Index Card.

[43] Supplement to the London Gazette, 23 June 1915.

[44] MID Index Card.

[45] Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 December 1916.

[46] Supplement to the London Gazette, 4 June 1917.

[47] MID Index Cards.

[48] MID Index Card.

[49] Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 November 1918.

[50] The Edinburgh Gazette, 7 January 1919.

[51] Supplement to the London Gazette, 24 Apr 1919.

[52] Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 October 1919.

[53] Supplement to the London Gazette, 25 March 1920.

[54] Annual Army List, January 1911.

[55] 1861 Census of England.

[56] The London Gazette, 30 April 1861.

[57] 1871 Census of England.

[58] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1885.

[59] 1881 Census of England.

[60] The London Gazette, 13 December 1881.

[61] Hart’s Annual Army List, 1885.

[62] Annual Army List, January 1911.

[63] 1891 Census of England.

[64] Annual Army List, January 1911.

[65] 1901 Census of England.

[66] 1911 Census of England and Wales.

[67] Family Tree.

[68] 1920 Probate Calendar.