This man is a candidate for addition to Keighley's Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024, the centenary of the original roll of honour.
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Supported by the National Lottery's Heritage Fund, our project intends to submit about 120 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it's new names is planned for November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.
Private. 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. Service Number 9279.
Early life:
Richard was born in York on 28th September 1886 and was a child of John and Ellen Kelly.
In the 1891 census they were living at 6, Corporation Yard in the Walmgate area of York. His father was a labourer for the York Corporation at the time. John was 33 and Ellen was 30.
Richard had siblings Jane aged nine and Thomas aged seven, who were both attending school with him and their youngest sister was Christiana aged just two and probably at home with their mother Ellen.
By the time of the 1901 census Richard's family were at 7, Albert Street, Walmgate. Father John was now 44 and still a labourer, working on the roads for the York Corporation. Ellen was 41 and caring for the family home. The children were Jane aged 19 and a laundress, Thomas was 17 and a general labourer, Richard was 14 and an errand boy. There is no mention of Christiana but there is a George Kelly aged four month who is John and Ellen's grandson. They also have a visitor during the census who was Sarah Kendal aged 22, also a laundress and perhaps working with Jane.
Previous military service:
There are no Army service records available for Richard, but we have managed to create a timeline of his service from other records.
During the 1911 census, Private Richard Kelly is serving with the 1st Battalion, the King's Own Scottish Borderers and in the barracks at Ranikhet in India. He is single, and 26 years old, born in York.
As he had already served in the Army he would either have been a serving soldier or a reservist in August 1914.
War service:
Richard is named on the Keighley's Gallant Sons' register of early volunteers and men who went off to serve very early in the war.
His entry reads: Kelly, R. single, 217 Burlington Street, West Ward. KOSB.
This means it's likely that he was a reservist who answered the call to the colours as soon as war was declared on 4th August 1914.
War diary WO-95/1552/2/1:
The 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers war diary shows that about 700 reservists arrived in their barracks at Dublin between the 5th and 8th of August. They were sober and in good order and mobilisation was completed by the 8th. They stood by until the 12th when they embarked on the HT Gloucestershire and sailed on 14th August in very crowded conditions for France.
They arrived at Le Havre at 3.00 pm on 15th August. They slept over night on the wharf shed at the port. On 16th August they then moved to no. 3 rest camp in very wet conditions and after another night they entrained at Le Gare Maritime which took about three hours to complete. They allowed four hours for this and they then had breakfast.
At 2.30 am on the 18th August they arrived at LANDRECHIE and later, marched to their billets in MAROILLES, a distance of about three and a half miles, arriving at 7.20 pm. They were rested and then exercised. At 3.30 pm they were addressed by Major General Sir E. Ferguson, Commanding Officer of 5th Division who gave an inspiring speech.
On 21st the set off marching at about 7 am to HOUDAIN, a distance of about 17 miles. It was very hot but the whole battalion less three men who were too sick to start, got in at about 3.30 pm and given orders to expect to move 'early.' On the 22nd August, they arrived at Lock number 4 and began preparing that portion of the MONS CANAL for defence.
On the 23rd August, the first action took place, transcribed direct from their war diary:
Action at the CANAL, lasting from about noon till dusk. Major Leigh DSO and D C O defended the bridge, allowing B Company who had been in front to cover the retirement of the Cavalry, to pass through into reserve. C Company was on the right. Casualties: Major Leigh missing, Captain Kennedy badly wounded, Captain Spencer wounded. Retired about 9 pm to WASMES.
On the 24th: Battalion arrived about midnight 23/24 near WASMES, bivouaced for 1 hour and latter moved into Reserve in WASMES. Retired in the afternoon (4 pm) and arrived at Le CATEAU on the evening of the 25th at about 5 pm. The next day they moved to a partly prepared position at Le CATEAU at dawn, getting into indifferent trenches on a front of about 1600 yards just after light.
The Bedfords were on our left and the KOYLI on our right. Dukes and Royal West Kents were in reserve. Our companies were disposed:
C - A.
D - B.
Practically no infantry were seen in front of our position. At 5 pm The Battalion was very heavily shelled in it's trenches and commenced a retirement from the right at about 5 pm, falling back on St. QUENTIN - HAM - and ending at OLLEZY at 6 pm on the 27th, arriving there at 6 pm. Battalion was on outposts.
on the 28th August the Battalion retired to POMERAI arriving at 6 pm. They halted all day till 7 pm and were again on the move most of the night, arriving at JAULZI on the 30th.
On the 31st August they retired to CREPY EN VALOIS, billeted North of the town.
Richard Kelly was taken prisoner on the 30th and whilst we don't know the circumstances it's possible he was overtaken by the advancing German Army during the retirement.
To put this into context, the distance from WASMES to CREPY En VALOIS is 108 miles and marching in full kit would have been an overwhelming ordeal for any but the strongest men who were living at home in Keighley less than a month prior to this date. It takes an estimated 40 hours to walk this distance.
The manner of the battalion's retirement is summed up by the commanding officer in a note at the end of the month's entries:
"Owing to frequent actions and the rapidity of the retreat it has not been found possible to keep up this diary, which was kept with 2nd Line (train) daily." This was signed several weeks afterwards at MISSY BRIDGE on 23rd September 1914.
Prisoner of war:
Richard served with the battalion until he was taken prisoner on 30th August 1914 at Senkeport (sic). He gave his date of birth 28th September 1886 and home address as 217, Westgate, Keighley, Yorks., England.
His service number was 9279 and his 'troop unit' entry in the prisoner ledger, shows he was in D Company. He was described as 'unwounded' (nicht verwundet) and was taken to Soltau. Soltau Camp (Lager Soltau), was to be the largest German prisoner-of-war camp of the First World War and it was built in 1914.
Richard was a prisoner of war for almost the whole of the war and would have suffered many privations such as lack of food and adequate clothing, poor living conditions etc.
He did eventually return home to Keighley and he was being treated in hospital here, having been discharged from the Army on 19th April 1919. He was in receipt of a war pension before he died and his Pension card states he had a 50% degree of disablement.
Richard died of tuberculosis (attributed to his war service) on 29th December 1920 and was buried at Morton Cemetery.
The war memorial in Morton Cemetery has a large panel of 22 names, one of which is Richard Kelly.
His inscription reads:
KELLY Private, R. 9279. 2nd Bn. King's Own Scottish Borderers. 29th December 1920.
Morton Cemetery has 28 casualties from both World Wars.
Richard was entitled to the 1914 Star with Clasp and Rose and he was an 'Old Contemptible.' His medals would include the British War Medal and the Victory Medal and would have gone to his next of kin, Ellen Lavelle living at 217, Westgate in Keighley. She would also have received his personal effects. It's possible she also received a bronze war memorial plaque and even a war gratuity but his late death may have rendered him ineligible. He is however, commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Notes:
The address for 217 Westgate has occasionally been written as 217 Burlington Street.
Burlington street goes up to number 146 and was situated alongside Westgate.
Westgate numbers up to 246 and is the only street in that particular ward of Keighley which does this.
Richard's brother Thomas Kelly also died in the war and he is already named in the original Borough of Keighley 1914 - 1918 roll of honour.
Information sources:
1891 England Census.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
WO-95/1552/2/1: War diary of the 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers.
International Committee of the Red Cross - Prisoner of war records.
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
National Burial Index For England & Wales.
Morton Cemetery war memorial.