LEATHERHEAD WAR MEMORIALS - WWI

Lance Corporal Herbert Joseph Kelly
12th Bn East Surrey Regiment

Town Memorial P4.R4.C3

Taken, Not Given, Liam Sumption, L&DLHS

L/Cpl J.
Kelly
12th East Surrey Regt
Vierstraat
Sept 4 1918

It appears that Liam made a rare error with this casualty as the inscription on the memorial reads Hubert J Kelly.

On 4 September 1918 the Companies of 12th. East Surreys were in readiness at 4 a.m. for an attack which commenced at 5.30 a.m. Their object was "the line of road along the wedge of the Bois Guaranle." (2)

At first "casualties practically nil". But then the battalion ran into machine guns in pillboxes in the 'Grand Bois'. All the officers in two Companies became casualties.

The War Diary refers to "a lack of cohesion" and the Germans counter-attacked.

'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D' Companies all suffered heavy losses, and the battalion had to be relieved by the 18th Bn. K.R.R.s.

How he was killed is uncertain, the blow was aggravated by the fact that in a little more than two months, hostilities would have ceased.

Notes on sources
1. Regimental Records of the Queens, Clandon Park, Surrey.
2. File WO95 [incomplete]: War Diary of 12th Bn. The East Surreys: Public Record Office, Kew, Richmond.

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Further research

Only one HJ Kelly is listed by the CWGC for the 4 September 1918.

He is Herbert J Kelly not Hubert J Kelly:

Lance Corporal
KELLY, HERBERT JOSEPH
Service Number 34813
Died 04/09/1918
12th Bn. East Surrey Regiment
Commemorated at TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Location: West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 79 to 80 and 163A.

He has no known grave.

Surrey Advertiser
Saturday 14 September 1918

KILLED
KELLY, L-Cpl. H.J., E. Surrey (Leatherhead).

Surrey Advertiser
Saturday 14 September 1918

KILLED IN ACTION
The following have been killed in action:-
Lance-Corpl HJ Kelly, East Surrey Regt., second son of Mr FJ Kelly, Rowhurst, Leatherhead; Lance-Corpl William Worsfold, East Surrey Regt., eldest son of Mr and Mrs Worsfold, Bridge-street, who was a member of the Fire Brigade: and Lance-Corpl Leonard Faithful, Royal Fusiliers, of King's Lea, formerly employed by the London Central Meat Co., in Bridge-street.

Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Saturday 21 September 1918

WAR CASUALTIES
Mr and Mrs FJ Kelly of Rowhurst, Leatherhead, have heard that their second son Lance Corporal HJ Kelly of the East Surrey Regt has been killed in action.

Soldiers Died in the Great War states:

The military pension record for Herbert Joseph Kelly identifies Florence May Nelson, widow, as the sole beneficiary and notes she was resident in Cricklewood, London N.W.  Evidently she remarried. 

His life

Researching his life is being problematical. The trail at present seemingly leads to Hubert Kelly rather than Herbert.

He is named as Herbert on the Ladies' War Shrine in Leatherhead Parish Church but Hubert in the RBL Leatherhead Roll of Honour and on the Town War Memorial. The War Shrine/Roll variation will be checked.

The East Surrey Regiment Roll of individuals entitled to British War Medal and Victory Medal lists:
34813 Pte KELLY Herbert Joseph 4/E.Surrey 34813 12/E Surrey 34813

However, Herbert has been crossed out and HUBERT written in.

There is a British Army WW1 Medal Roll Index Card for Hubert J Kelly, Private E, Surrey Regiment, service number 34813.

The press reports above refer to his parents Mr & Mrs FJ Kelly of Rowhurst, Leatherhead. They are found in the Electoral Registers:

1918, 1919 Rowhurst: Felix Joseph Kelly, Amy Kelly
1921 Rowhurst: Felix Joseph Kelly, Amy Kelly, Adrian Wallace Kelly
1922, 1923 Rowhurst: Felix Joseph Kelly, Amy Kelly, Adrian Wallace Kelly, Felix Kelly

Rowhurst, in Oxshott Road Leatherhead, is one of Leatherhead's oldest buildings.

Hubert Kelly's father, Felix Joseph Kelly, was born about 1861 in the City of London. He was a son of Edmund Joseph Kelly (1826-1867), from Hampstead, Middlesex. Edmund was an Architect & Surveyor. Felix's mother was Mary Agnes Danell (1826-1884), from Marylebone, London, Middlesex, a  daughter of James Danell and Christina Targett. Mary's brother James Danell (the younger) - Felix's uncle - was Bishop of Southwark 1871-1881.

The marriage of Felix Joseph Kelly to Amy Withall was registered in Kingston, Surrey in Q3 1887.

Hubert Kelly's mother, Amy, was born about 1863 in Ham, Surrey. She was a daughter of Charles E Withall born about 1821 from Lambeth, Surrey, an Attorney & Solicitor; her mother was Katharyn M Withall, born about 1827 in Middlesex.

Hubert was not listed with the family in the 1901 Census at 4 Tavistock Square, St Pancras, London:

The 1911 Census does not find the Kellys in Leatherhead - but at 55 Cowcross St London EC [near Farringdon Station]:

Felix Joseph Kelly   50 b London City: Managing Director Booths Distillery*
Amy Kelly                48 b Ham Common Surrey
Felix Kelly                22 b Ham Common Surrey
Kathleen Kelly         18 b Ham Common Surrey
Hubert Kelly           17 b Ham Common Surrey [so born about 1894]

It is of course possible that the Kellys had more than one property. Note also that Cowcross Street is the address for Herbert Joseph Kelly in Soldiers Died in the Great War.

His parents' addresses during his lifetime appear to have been, from Electoral Registers:
1894: 66 Edith Road, West Kensington: St Pancras South
1902: 4 Tavistock Square, St Pancras, London
1906-14: 55 Cowcross Street, Finsbury East
1918: Rowhurst

It is possible that he married, and research continues on a spouse with forenames Florence May.

After WW1

His parents continued at Rowhurst until at least 1923, then were in Berkshire by 1925:
1921-23 Rowhurst
1925: Bramleigh, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire

His father died in 1932. It is not yet know when his mother died.

It does appear that the CWGC record may need review. Research continues.

Herbert Kelly is also remembered on these memorials (* as Hubert)
Leatherhead Town Memorial*
Leatherhead RBL Roll of Honour, Leatherhead Parish Church*
Ladies War Shrine, Leatherhead Parish Church
Surrey in the Great War

* Booths were originally wine merchants from around 1569, based in the North East of England. Philip Booth first established their distilling operations in 1740, in London. By the 1800’s the company had numerous distilleries (including farms and a brewery) and was the largest Gin distiller in the UK.

This Gin was originally known as “House of Lords” and was first produced in 1790, by the Philip Booth’s 3rd and youngest son, Sir Felix Booth (1755 – 1850). Felix Booth served as Sheriff of London & Middlesex and was also a keen philanthropist. His best-known endeavor was funding over 80% of Captain John Ross’s second expedition to find the North West passage during 1829 to 1833 - while ultimately unsuccessful, he did successfully locate the Magnetic North Pole. As a direct result of this financial input, parts of Canada are named in relation to Booth: Boothia Isthmus; Boothia Peninsula; Cape Felix; Gulf of Boothia; Port Felix (Nova Scotia); and Sheriff Harbor (Nunavut).

Following this expeditions success, King William IV granted the Gin a royal warrant in 1833. This was used to great marketing success, Booth’s using the motto “King of Gin” and the (Royal) Red Lion as an icon, and in 1859 Felix Booth opened up the Red Lion Brewery and Distillery in London. On top of the distillery was an 1837 sculptured, red painted lion made of Coade stone (incredibly durable cement like building material, invented by Eleanor Coade).

The Red Lion distillery (along with a waterworks building) was finally demolished in 1949 to make way for the Royal Festival Hall, which now dominates the Lambeth South bank of the River Thames. The lion was relocated at street level and guarded the gates to Waterloo train station until 1966 when it was moved again and today can be found on the south end of Westminster Bridge. The red paint was removed to better display the Coade stone, which still looks like new nearly 200-years later. A similar but smaller lion from the distillery can be found at Gate No.3 at Twickenham Rugby Ground.

http://www.the-complete-gentleman.com/SpiritsGinBrandsBoothsGin.html

the website editor welcomes information that might clarify the Herbert/Hubert issue
and would like to add further information on this casualty
e.g. a photo of him, and of any recollections within his family

last updated 30 Nov 20