Christopher Patrick O'Kelly ["Tales of the V.C."]

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, O'Kelly joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in October 1915, aged 21 years he became an Officer in the 52nd (96th Lake Superior Regiment)Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. On 26 October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium, (Acting)Captain O'Kelly led his company with great skill, bravery and determination as they fought and then captured six pill-boxes the occupants of which surrendered to him and his men. Upon counting these now captured enemy soldiers the total amounted to a 100 prisoners and 10 machine-guns. Not content with this magnificent achievement he had to reorganise his men for an expected counter attack which duly and furiously arrived. He led his men in the defence of their position and they were successful not only in repelling the attack but also in taking more prisoners. To cap their success during the night they captured a hostile raiding party consisting of one officer, 10 men and a machine gun. He later achieved the rank of Major. After the war Christopher O'Kelly became a prospector in Northwestern Ontario but tragically died in a boating accident on Lac Seul, Ontario in 1922, three days before his 27th birthday. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada. The attached account of his actions was written by James Price Lloyd of the Welsh Regiment, who served with Military Intelligence. After the war, the government to destroyed all the archives relating to this propaganda (section MI 7b (1)). They were regarded as being too sensitive to risk being made public. Remarkably these documents have survived in the personal records of Captain Lloyd. Many of these papers are officially stamped, and one can trace the development of many individual articles from the notes based on an idea, to the pencil draft which is then followed by the hand-written submission and the typescript. The archive "Tales of the VC" comprises 94 individual accounts of the heroism that earned the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. These are recounted deferentially and economically, yet they still manage to move the reader.