Thomas Kelly-Kenny

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General Thomas Kelly-Kenny was born on 27 February 1840 at Doolough Lodge, Treanmanagh near Mullagh in County Clare, Ireland. He served in South Africa, India, China and Abyssinia. In the Second Anglo-Boer war of 1899 - 1901 he was Lieutenant-General in command of the 6th Division. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches and received the Queen’s South African Medal with four clasps. He was involved the relief of Kimberley and the battles of Paardeberg, Poplar Grave and Driefontein.

He was an Irish Catholic and in contrast to most of the aristocratic officer class who saw war as a sport he was professional soldier who had worked his way through the ranks.

At the battle of Paardeberg he had a conservative plan to besiege Cronje and bombard his force from a safe distance with superior artillery. When Roberts became ill he appointed Lieutenant General Herbert Kitchener as commander. Kitchener had become known as 'Kitchener of Khartoum' due to his success against the Dervishes in the Sudan. He overruled Kelly-Kenny and ordered an assault on the Boer trenches. The result was 'Bloody Sunday' – a unneccessary sacrifice of hundreds of lives on the British side. Kelly-Kenny was involved in the engagements at Poplar Grave and Driefontein and was well regarded by historians for his role. After that point the war became a series of guerilla skirmishes.

From 1901 to 1904, he was Adjutant-General to the Forces. There are references to his touring Japan as part of a mission to present the Order of the Garter to the Emperor and to the future King George V visiting his house in Co Clare in 1906. He retired in 1907 and died in 1914.

[edit] References

Houses of Clare, Hugh W.L. Weir, Ballinakella Press, Whitegate, Co.Clare, 1986
The Boer War; Thomas Pakenham; Cardinal, 1979; ISBN 0-7474-0976-5
The Great Boer War, Arthur Conan Doyle, London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1902
Mitford's Japan: The Memoirs and Recollections, 1866-1906, of Algernon Bertram Mitford, the First Lord Redesdale by Mitford, Hugh Cortazzi, Algernon Bertram Mitford