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Introduction

This article has been written with the assistance of Mr Pat Kelly from Whitehaven, Cumbria (previously Cumberland). It is about one of Pat's older brothers Joseph John Kelly, known as Joe, who served in the army for over 20 years, including the Second World War.

Joe and Pat Kelly were two of the six children of James and Isabel Kelly who lived at 95 George Street, Whitehaven during World War Two. Joe and Pat were both in the army during the war, as were their brothers Jimmy and Henry. Their sister Hannah served in the A.T.S. while the husband of their other sister Catherine saw action in Italy and other places.

I have previously written about some of Pat's personal memories of the war years, and a little about the rest of the Kelly family during the war year. For Joe Kelly, the army was his life. This is only a very brief article about Joe Kelly's time during World War Two. I would like to dedicate this article to his memory.

A lifetime of service

Joe took a great pride in being in the army and especially serving the in the Border Regiment, the traditional regiment for men from the twin counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, as they were known until 1974. In fact, Joe worked his way through the ranks from Private and eventually became a Sergeant Major training the Territorials at the Drill Hall in West Cumberland, passing on the knowledge and experience he had built up over the years.

During World War Two Joe was in several tight situations. In the early part of the war, he served with the Border Regiment in France. During the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force towards Dunkirk in the spring of 1940 Joe's unit were involved in severe fighting with the Germans in the Somme area, where so many Border Regiment fellows had fought so bravely in the Great War of 1914 - 1918. For taking part in this action Joe received the commemorative medal of the ‘Battles of the Somme’.

After some time back in Britain, Joe went out with the Border Regiment serving in the Middle and Far East, serving in the same Battalion in Burma as brother Henry, who was 5 years older. By the middle of 1944, Joe Kelly had achieved the rank of Lance Sergeant, and his brother Henry the rank of Corporal. In October 1944, the then 31 year old Corporal Henry Kelly was awarded the Military Medal for bravery while under enemy fire. At the time, Joe was involved in action in the same area.

Both Joe and Henry were wounded in action during the time they were in Burma. Joe was wounded in March 1944 while Henry was wounded in the action that won him the Military Medal. While they were in Burma, when they were not involved in action, they kept in touch with home by writing home and reading the local newspaper. 'The Whitehaven News' made an extra special effort to keep the boys in the Far East in touch with home through its 'Comforts Fund', including British cigarettes. During the war, perhaps not surprisingly, Joe became a heavy smoker which he remained afterwards.

Photographs in particular were another way of remembering loved ones who by force of circumstance were so far apart. On 9 December 1942 Joe had a photograph taken and sent it to his mother, with the following handwritten message: "To Mother - with love. Joe xxxx". The photograph and these few words would have meant so much they arrived in West Cumberland.

When the war ended against the Japanese in August 1945, Joe continued in the Army. In 1956 Joe took part in the Suez Canal Zone events. In 2003 the British Government announced a medal was to be awarded for Canal Zone veterans. The Kelly family received Joe's medal for this action in 2005.

Joe passed away at the relatively early age of 54 on 8 May 1973, the 28th anniversary of V.E. Day. He was buried in Whitehaven Cemetery.

Conclusion

I would like to thank Pat Kelly for his assistance in writing this article. Obviously, it is only a very brief sketch of Joe Kelly's time in the Border Regiment during World War Two.

Joe was a Border Regiment man through and through. He was proud to serve in his local regiment. Hopefully, this article may help others remember Joe's service to his country during World War Two.

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