Francis Kelly (British Army officer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francis Henry Kelly
Major-General Francis Henry Kelly in 1916.jpg
Kelly in 1916
Born26 July 1859
Clifton, Bristol
Died18 March 1937 (1937-03-19) (aged 77)
Camberley, Surrey
Buried
Rochester Cathedral
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branchFlag of the British Army.svg British Army
RankMajor-General
Commands heldKarachi Brigade
Ahmednagar Brigade
Commander of British Troops in South China
69th (2nd East Anglian) Division
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George

Major-General Francis Henry Kelly CB CMG (26 July 1859 – 18 March 1937) was Commander of British Troops in South China.

Military career[]

Kelly was commissioned into the Royal Engineers as a lieutenant on 6 April 1879.[1] He took part in the Burma expedition in 1885, was promoted to captain on 1 April 1889, and then went to the North West Frontier in India in 1897 where he participated in the Tirah Campaign, during which he was promoted to major on 1 October 1897.[1] Following the campaign he received a brevet promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 20 May 1898.[2]

He was appointed temporary assistant adjutant-general in Quetta District on 23 June 1900 (while the actual A.A.G. served in the Boxer Rebellion in China),[3] serving as such for several years. He was further appointed Commander of the Karachi Brigade in 1905 and Commander of the Ahmednagar Brigade in 1907.[1] After that he became Commander of British Troops in South China in 1913[4] and General Officer Commanding 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division in November 1915 during the First World War before retiring in 1918.[1]

After the War he became a Regional Director at the Ministry of Pensions.[1]

Memorial in Rochester Cathedral

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Kelly, Francis Henry". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  2. ^ Hart′s Army list, 1903
  3. ^ "No. 27469". The London Gazette. 29 August 1902. p. 5610.
  4. ^ Hong Kong Legislative Council
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of British Troops in South China
1913–1915 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division
1915−1917 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""