Born at Island Bridge, Dublin, c.1824.
Enlisted at Dublin from the Royal Hibernian School on the 29th of June 1838, and to "serve in the Band, by Authority of the Adjutant General's Office, Dublin, dated the 27th of June 1838."
The only record now existing of the School (the remainder having been lost through enemy action during World War Two at Walworth, London) shows that his father had served in the Royal Artillery, but gives no other information as to whether he was "dead" or "alive", or the age or date at which his son had entered, as do the similar records of the Chelsea equivalent School.
Age: 13 years 8 months.
Height: 4' 7".
Trade: Tailor.
Features: Sallow complexion. Brown eyes. Lt. brown hair.
Deserted from Birmingham on the 9th of April 1844, and rejoined the regiment on the 8th of May 1844. Tried by a District Court-martial at Hounslow and sentenced to three months imprisonment, with hard labour.
Absent, and imprisoned in the Barrack Cells, 6th — 14th of July 1847.
From Private to Trumpeter on 28th of December 1848.
Absent: 31st of December 1851 — 4th of April 1852. Tried by a Regimental Court-martial and reduced to Private on the 5th of April 1852.
From Private to Trumpeter: 1st of October 1854.
Sent to Scutari on the 12th of December 1854, and invalided to England on the 20th of December 1855. He later appears on the Depot roll at Brighton from the 27th of February 1856.
Rejoined the regiment at Cahir on the 1st of June 1856.
Discharged from Dublin on the 13th of March 1857 as:
"Not likely to become efficient and the Reduction of the Army. This soldier is unfit for service and suffers from lumbago and rheumatism contracted in the service and increased by the use of intoxicating liquors and other vices. Has been marked with the letter "D."
Served 12 years 121 days, to count.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year 8 months.
Aged 35 years on discharge.
Conduct: "very good". Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.
He was awarded a pension of 6d. per day for 18 months; i.e. to the 8th of November 1858.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Alma, Balaclava, Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Living in the Brighton Pension District after discharge.
According to correspondence and private letters in family possession and also from family stories, Edward Kelly apparently had first come to South Africa with a military unit for the Kaffir War of 1851 the unit being based at Cathcart and returning in England in 1859. [EJB: This could not have been true as the 17th Lancers were not in this campaign.] He had married a Mary McDermott, but nothing was known of where or when. Nothing more was known of him until 1875 when he was said to have returned to South Africa and, from a letter to the "Cape Argus" dated the 5th of March 1900:
"For a number of years he was band master of the Queenstown Rifle Volunteers Band and later the Postmaster of Lady Frere, where his son, John James, also lived. A short time later he moved to East London, where he and his wife, his senior by five months, intended to live out their declining years.In his prime he was a keen sportsman, seventy-six years old on the 3rd of August last (this does not agree with his date of birth as given at his enlistment) and still hale and hearty as the accompanying photograph taken a few days back goes to show, with one son in Orpen's Light Horse, a grandson, James Sherwood Kelly, (later VC. DSO. MC.) and another, Edward, (later an M.C. holder.) — and looks forward with delight to seeing the uniform of his old regiment once again on its arrival on our shores."
In regard to Edward Kelly's participation in the Charge, a certificate was possessed signed by the then Adjutant of the 17th Lancers, John Brown:
"G39057:
I certify that No. 571 Trumpeter Edward Kelly, late of the 17th Lancers, was present with the regiment at the Battles of the Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman and during the Siege of Sebastopol. He was slightly wounded in the Light Cavalry Charge at the battle of Balaclava.
(signed) John Brown, Cornet, Adjutant, 17th Lancers.
Hounslow. 21st November 1868"
Edward Kelly and his wife, Mary are said to have died in East London, South Africa, but despite extensive enquiries no trace of their interment has yet been found.
Of his children, the following is known:
John J. Kelly, born at Newbridge on the 4th of June 1850.
Margaret Kelly, born into the 17th Lancers at Brighton in 1851.
An Edward Kelly was born at Brighton in 1854.
Extract from the "Queenstown Daily Representative" for the 26th of August 1926:
"The late Mr. J.J. Kelly — An Appreciation"
"John James Kelly was born at Newbridge in Ireland on the 4th of June 1850. He came out to South Africa as an infant with his parents. His father, the late Mr. E. Kelly, who had participated in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, belonged to the British Army and came to this country in the late fifties.
When the subject of this sketch (J.J.Kelly) was nine years old his parents returned to the Old Country, but Master Jack preferred to remain and began life as apprentice on a farm on the Bonte-bok flats, where he herded sheep. As soon as he was old enough he joined the old F.M.A.P. and remained with that conspicuously fine body of men until 1879."
John J. Kelly had ten children born to him from his marriage: six sons and four daughters.
All the sons subsequently served in the First World War, notably Colonel J. Sherwood Kelly, V.C., C.M.G., D.S.O., Captain E.C. Kelly M.C., Captain Ted Kelly, 1st S.A.J, and R.F.C., D.F.C; and Captain Cliff Kelly, S.A.H. Another son, Percy, was killed in East Africa.
See also the record of 1613 James Kelly, 11th Hussars, and here, for more details relating to the story of Col. J. Sherwood Kelly V.C.