1916 the division went to France, and on 13 November Kelly was killed at Beaucourt-sur-Ancre when rushing a German machine gun that was holding up the attack. He was unmarried.
No record of Kelly would be complete without a mention of almost his last work, a lovely elegy for string orchestra written in memory of his friend, Rupert Brooke, who was buried in Scyros in April 1915. Kelly wrote in his diary: ‘As we slowly made our way behind the coffin to the olive grove, the phrase
(d-e-f-e-d-c-a displayed on stave)
constantly occurred to my mind. The work is a true portrayal of my feelings on that night—the passionless simplicity of the surroundings with occasionally a note of personal anguish.’
Kelly died just as he seemed to be entering on a period of great fertility; in composition as in playing he was freeing himself, finding himself—throwing off, in his playing, restrictions acquired through a long routine and habit of practice, and gaining for his composition not only greater vigour and freshness in his ideas, but a new judgement and discrimination in the use of all resources.
He wrote an article on sculling in The Complete Oarsman (1908), and published the following musical compositions (the dates being those of composition): Op. 1, Two Songs (1902 and 1904); Op. 2, Waltz Pageant for Pianoforte Duet (1905), for Pianoforte Solo (1911); Op. 3, Allegro de Concert for Pianoforte (1907); Op. 4, A Cycle of Lyrics for Pianoforte Solo (1908); Op. 5, Theme, Variations, and Fugue for two Pianos (1913); Op. 6, Six Songs (1910); Op. 7, Serenade for Flute and String Orchestra (1911); Two Organ Preludes (1915); Elegy for String Orchestra in memoriam Rupert Brooke (1915). He also left several volumes of unpublished compositions.
[Balliol College War Memorial Book, 1924; personal knowledge.]
KELLY-KENNY, Sir THOMAS (1840–1914), general, son of Mathew Kelly, of Tuanmanagh, Kilrush, county Clare, was born at Tuanmanagh 27 February 1840. In 1874 he took the additional surname of Kenny. In 1858 he received a commission in the 2nd Foot, and in 1860 took part in the China War, was present at the capture of the Taku forts, and was mentioned in dispatches. In 1866 he took part as a captain in the Abyssinian expedition and was again mentioned in dispatches. After twenty-four years of regimental service, he was promoted in 1882 to the command of the 2nd battalion of the Queen's regiment, as the 2nd Foot had become, and he first attracted notice in consequence of the very high state of efficiency to which he brought this battalion. On giving up this command he was employed in a succession of staff appointments, in which he made a name for himself as an administrator.
In 1896 Kelly-Kenny was promoted major-general and given command of an infantry brigade at Aldershot, and in the following year he was made inspector-general of auxiliary forces at the War Office. He was holding this position when the Boer War broke out (1899), and, after the first five divisions had left for South Africa under the command of Sir Redvers Buller, he was chosen to organize and command the 6th division at Aldershot. After the ‘black week’ (December 1899) of Magersfontein, Stormberg, and Colenso, and after the appointment of Lord Roberts [q.v.] to the supreme command, Kelly-Kenny took this division out to South Africa and led it during the operations for the relief of Kimberley. After a night march (14–15 February 1900) the 6th division arrived at Klip Drift on the Modder river and relieved Major-General (afterwards Earl) French's cavalry division, which was thus enabled to gallop through the Boer lines towards Kimberley. On discovering General Piet Cronje's movement eastwards from Magersfontein, Kelly-Kenny followed him up, engaged his rearguard at Klip Kraal Drift (16 February), and by hampering the Boer retreat enabled Lord Roberts two days later to bring up the 9th division to join the 6th, while French's cavalry returned from Kimberley and prevented Cronje from escaping by the right bank of the Modder. Cronje had entrenched himself in a laager at Vendutie Drift, just east of Paardeberg. During the first attack on the laager (18 February) Kelly-Kenny was the senior general on the spot, but Lord Roberts had sent forward his chief of staff, Lord Kitchener [q.v.], to co-ordinate the movements of the various divisions, a measure which placed Kelly-Kenny in a difficult position, particularly as he did not agree with Kitchener's radical methods. After Cronje's surrender (27 February) Kelly-Kenny led his division in the action of Poplar Grove (7 March), but the Boers, finding their flank turned by the British cavalry, did not await the attack of the infantry. Three days later (10 March)
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