KELLY, Charles Henry
| Service Number: | 522 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 September 1914, An original member of E Company, 13th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Eugowra, New South Wales, Australia, 19 September 1892 |
| Home Town: | Eugowra, Cabonne, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bush contractor |
| Died: | Epping, New South Wales, Australia, 26 June 1989, aged 96 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Canowindra Soldiers Memorial Hospital and Honour Roll, Eugowra War Memorial, Peak Hill and District Great War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 522, 13th Infantry Battalion, An original member of E Company, 13th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 522, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 522, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 19 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 10 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 8 Jul 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Charles Henry Kelly served at the Anzac landing with the 13th Battalion. He was wounded in the arm and back on the 14 August 1915.
Kelly wrote a letter to his mother which was published in the Forbes Advocate in 1915, “I was wounded on August 14th with a burst of shrapnel, which got six of us. Two were killed instantly, and one died of wounds, two days later. I was hit by a shrapnel bullet, the bullet passing through the fleshy part of the back, but the worst knock of all was with the empty shrapnel shell, which caught me in the ribs and left arm, breaking the arm just below the shoulder. I have it in a sling, and have no power over it, but it is feeling better every day.”
Charles transferred to the 45th Battalion during the reorganization of the AIF during early 1916. He was awarded a Serbian Gold Obilich Medal for Bravery during the heavy fighting at Pozieres and promoted to Lance Corporal soon after. The recommendation stated “On the morning of 6th August 1916 at Pozieres after a German counter attack had failed Private Kelly, who is an excellent rifle shot and a very cool and daring sniper, killed at least a dozen Germans. He was at Gallipoli from the landing until wounded on 21 August 1915 and during that period he did excellent work as a sniper and scout.”
His older brother, 769 Sergeant James William Kelly 5th Australian Machine Gun Company died of wounds 26 November 1916, aged 26.
The Military Medal was awarded to Kelly in 1917 for bravery and coolness under fire during the attack at Messines, for his work as a scout and then taking charge of an attacking platoon after their Lieutenant was killed. He was promoted to Sergeant soon after.
Charles spent most of 1918 in training schools and was returned to Australia during March 1919. Charles lived to the ripe old age of 96, passing away in 1989.
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