World War 1
Search the known records to date of those lost from the wider Alnwick area in World War 1
Generally showing where they are commemorated, when they died and some basic facts about each person. There are gaps, however, so if you can fill in any missing details do please contact us.
Martin Kelly
Forename(s):
Martin
Surname:
Kelly
Initial(s):
M
Service Number:
39176
Rank:
Private
Regiment:
Durham Light Infantry, 14th (Service) Battalion
Died:
20/04/1917
Aged:
29
Buried:
Loos Memorial (Dud Corner Cemetery)
Service History:
Enlisted at Gateshead, County Durham on 24 November 1915 & joined his battalion at the front on 3 February 1917.
Conditions at Loos were chaotic & there was some confusion over the date of Kelly's death. Initially, an assumption was made that he had been killed in an attack in which his battalion took part on 6 May. He was not officially posted as missing until 12 May 1917.
(Source: 'Felton War Memorial: The Men behind the names'; Eleanor George [formerly Hall]; 2009; p. 16)
Background:
Born in 1888 at Felton, the second of twelve children of Martin Kelly (a Grocer, Draper & Assurance Agent), by his wife, Ann Georgina Kelly (née Rowdon).
Occupation: Grocer in Gateshead, County Durham.
A first cousin to Sergeant Michael Mallon (Regimental service #6873; Machine Gun Corps, 207th Company; Died 26 September 1917).
Married Mary Young Reilly in St. Joseph's Church, Gateshead on 6 October 1913.
(Sources: Vera Mallon - Martin Kelly was a cousin of her Great Uncle Michael [February 2014]. Also, 'Felton War Memorial: The Men behind the names'; Eleanor George [formerly Hall]; 2009; p. 16)
Local Memorial:
Felton War Memorial incorporating Acton, Eshott, Swarland & Thirston