Lieutenant Thomas Joseph "Pat" Kelly was born in South Mimms, Middlesex, on 2nd May 1889.  Pat's parents were Edward (b.1859, Australian of Irish descent) and Hannah (b.1857, nee O'Rourke), Pat's sister was Catharine (b 1888) and Pat's brothers were Edward (b 1891) and Morgan (b. 1893).  (Pat is shown in the centre back row of the family photo).  Pat was an Assistant Superintendent in the Police in India & married Althea Kathleen Barker on 28th September 1914 in Madhupur, India.  (Althea is in the centre and Pat is the tall man on the right in the next photo.)  He loved horses and his horse was called Bolivar.  He loved playing Polo and won several cups.  He also loved dogs.

After the 1st World War started, Pat became a Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers within the Mysore Lancers Regiment.  He went to Mesopotamia and even his horse, Bolivar, was wynched aboard the ship for embarkation.  During his military service, Pat went to Basra (Feb 1916), Cairo (Mar 1916), Bethlehem (1917) and Tiberius (May 1917) and Gaza (November 1917).

Pat was also very good at languages and his book "Notes on Colloquial Arabic of Lower Mesopotamia" (there is a copy in the British Library) helped the troops to understand the Arabic languages of the local inhabitants.  He also did reconnaissance and, according to my Grannie Althea, helped Lawrence of Arabia!  During the latter part of his military service, Pat joined the Royal Flying Corps and flew aeroplanes for reconnaissance missions.

On 7th November, 1917, Pat was killed in action by Turkish troops on the last day of the Third Battle of Gaza when he was entering the city. His original grave had a propeller in it and later he was buried in the Gaza War Cemetery (XII.G.8).   Many miles away, my Grannie Althea woke up and knew that he had been killed and later she heard that he had indeed been killed on that exact day.  She was devoted to her "Pat" and even years later, she always had a painting of him up in her cottage in Devon and showed me his war service medal and gave me his very poignant postcards during the war.  My mother's and my middle name is Patricia in memory of Pat.

Pat was honoured by his name being inscribed on 2 memorials, the first on the Teen Murti Memorial in front of the former British Commander-in-Chief's Residence in Delhi and the second in Bangalore.

Lynette Szczepanik