Kelly, John Gordon Christie

Date of birth:: September 29th, 1916 (Glasgow, Great Britain)
Service number:: 53685
Nationality:: British

Biography

John Kelly emigrated to South Africa, then found employment as a civil engineer, and resided in Uitenhage, Cape Province, as well as Braamfontein, but with the outbreak of the Second World War, he then joined the Union Defence Force at Johannesburg on 12th April 1940.
In the second part of his service he served with the 38th Railway Construction Company in Egypt and then Italy,
He was discharged on 4th October 1945

Promotions:
2nd Lieutenenat
Lieutenant
3 februari 1944: Temporary Captain

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Military Cross (MC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Lieutenant
Unit:: 2nd Battery, 1st South African Anti Tank Regiment, 1st South African Division
Awarded on:: September 24th, 1942

Recommendation:
"On Sunday, 12th July 1942, Lieutenant Kelly’s Troop was co-operating with the 24th Battalion, 26th Australian Brigade in the Teli-Es-Eisa area. The Troop was in position along the southern slope of a ridge, which came under very heavy shell fire, mortar, and machine gun fire during the late afternoon when a strong attack was launched by the enemy. In spite of the heavy fire and without regard to his personal safety Lieutenant Kelly visited all his guns, which extended over a long front, and by his coolness and magnificent example maintained the highest degree of morale. At one gun position where the fire was extremely heavy, he remained in the open to render first aid to a wounded Australian - in spite of sustaining a slight wound in the forehead, he remained with the wounded man until darkness fell. Lieutenant Kelly had previously suffered severe burns from a shell splinter, but in spite of his injuries he remained on duty."