Christopher O'Kelly

Christopher Patrick John O'Kelly VC MC (18 November 1895 – 15 November 1922) was a Canadian soldier and prospector. O'Kelly was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Christopher Patrick John O'Kelly
Born(1895-11-18)18 November 1895
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died15 November 1922(1922-11-15) (aged 26)
Lac Seul, Ontario, Canada
Allegiance Canada
Service/branchCanadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service1915 - 1922
RankMajor
Unit52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF
Battles/warsWorld War I
Awards

Biography

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, O'Kelly joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in October 1915.[1] He was 21 years old, and an acting captain in the 52nd Battalion (New Ontario), CEF, during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.[2]

On 26 October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium, Captain O'Kelly led his company with extraordinary skill and determination. They captured six pill-boxes, with 100 prisoners and 10 machine-guns. He also dug the trenches to get to the enemies base. Later his company repelled a strong counterattack, taking more prisoners, and subsequently during the night they captured a hostile raiding party consisting of one officer, 10 men and a machine-gun.[3]

He later achieved the rank of Major. After the war, O'Kelly became a prospector in Northwestern Ontario. He drowned in 1922 while canoeing on Lac Seul. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada.

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References
  1. Canadian Great War Project
  2. http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/vcg-gcv/bio/okelly-cpj-eng.asp
  3. "No. 30471". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1918. p. 722.

Further reading
  • Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
  • VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)
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