Christopher O'Kelly
Christopher Patrick John O'Kelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 18 November 1895 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | 15 November 1922 (aged 26) Lac Seul, Ontario, Canada |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Service/ | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Years of service | 1915 - 1922 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
Christopher Patrick John O'Kelly VC MC (18 November 1895 – 15 November 1922) was a Canadian soldier and prospector. O'Kelly was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Biography[]
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, O'Kelly joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in October 1915.[1] He was 21 years old, and an acting captain in the 52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF, during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.[2]
On 26 October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium, Captain O'Kelly led his company with extraordinary skill and determination. They captured six pill-boxes, with 100 prisoners and 10 machine-guns. He also dug the trenches to get to the enemy's base. Later his company repelled a strong counterattack, taking more prisoners, and subsequently during the night they captured a hostile raiding party consisting of one officer, 10 men and a machine-gun.[3]
He later achieved the rank of Major. After the war, O'Kelly became a prospector in Northwestern Ontario. He drowned in 1922 while canoeing on Lac Seul. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada.
Further reading[]
- Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)
References[]
- ^ Canadian Great War Project
- ^ "Victoria Cross Bios - Christopher Patrick John O'Kelly". 14 April 2009.
- ^ "No. 30471". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1918. p. 722.
External links[]
- 1895 births
- 1922 deaths
- Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
- People from Winnipeg
- Canadian people of Irish descent
- Accidental deaths in Ontario
- Canadian Expeditionary Force officers
- Canadian recipients of the Military Cross
- Deaths by drowning