---

 

Private Peter Francis Kelly

 

Peter Francis Kelly was born on 15 June 1887 at 28 Findlater Street, Dublin, the child of railway porter Patrick Kelly and his wife Ellen (née Murray). His mother died of typhoid in the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum when he was just two years old. At the time of both the 1901 and 1911 Censuses he was living at 13 Sullivan Street, Arran Quay, Dublin, with his grandfather, James Kelly, an RIC pensioner, his grandmother Bridget, and two aunts. In 1911 he was a clerk, but unemployed at the time.

Kelly joined the North Irish Horse between 27 June and 2 July 1917 (No.2551 – later Corps of Hussars No.71889). He may have enlisted prior to this – one record shows him in the Inniskilling Dragoons (No.25709) and the Irish Guards (No.2014).

In January 1918 he embarked for Egypt with a draft of North Irish Horsemen from the Antrim camp. There he was attached to the 1/1st Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers). At the beginning of July 1918 he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) (No.169470).

On 6 April 1919 Kelly was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve. He was awarded a pension due to malaria which was attributed to his military service – his level of disability assessed at 20 per cent in February 1920.