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This story is taken from an interview with William Harvey-Kelly, and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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William Harvey-Kelly was a 15-year-old schoolboy when the war broke out in 1939. Though his family lived in the Irish Free State, he was a boarder at Public School in England. His House master advised him "If you're going to join an Irish Regiment, join the best". That was the Irish Guards.

In late 1943 William Harvey-Kelly was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Irish Guards. The last leave before D-Day was on St Patrick's Day, 1944.

The Irish Guards was part of an Armoured Division, so they didn't land at Normandy until about a month after D-Day. They missed Operation Goodwood, but were in time to take part in the last offensive that helped close the Falaise Gap.

The German SS and Paras were very well-trained, very tough. Once, William Harvey-Kelly was in a shoot-out with a German para. His platoon Sergeant, from Cork, shouted to him, as if he was on the firing range, that he was firing too low! Just then, William Harvey-Kelly's sten-gun jammed. Luckily the Sergeant fired over his head, and the German ran away.

The Irish Guards were later involved in the Liberation of Brussels. In September 1944 they were part of the Market Garden offensive, and captured a bridge known as "Joe's Bridge". Then the Grenadier Guards took over the advance, but they were still not able to save the British troops trapped at Arnhem.

William Harvey-Kelly was wounded and evacuated back to Britain, but he returned to his unit for the final conquest of Germany.

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