Thomas Kelly-Kenny
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Thomas Kelly-Kenny GCB GCVO (1840–1914) was a British Army
general who served in the Second Boer War
.
in County Clare
, Ireland
. He was educated as a lay student at St. Patrick's College, Carlow, he was the son of Thomas Kelly and added the Kenny surname in 1874. He was appointed Ensign
without purchase
in the 1st Battalion, 2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot
on 2 February 1858 and was ADC
to the General Officer Commanding
Cape of Good Hope
from 15 November 1859 to January 1860. He was further appointed Lieutenant by purchase on 12 October 1860 and Captain by purchase on 20 July 1866. He was (acting) Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General
(QMG) in Bombay from 25 May 1869 to April 1870.
Promoted Colonel on 22 September 1887 he was Assistant Adjutant General
(AAG) and QMG from that date until 30 June 1889. Continuing in senior appointments, he was AAG and QMG, North-Eastern District from 1 July 1889–21 September 1892. Later he became AAG Aldershot Garrison
from 28 December 1893–12 March 1896.
In the Second Anglo-Boer war of 1899–1901 he was, as a Lieutenant-General, General Officer Commanding
the 6th Division. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches and received the Queen’s South African Medal with four clasps. He was involved in the relief of Kimberley
, the battles of Paardeberg
, Poplar Grove and Driefontein
.
At the battle of Paardeberg he had a conservative plan to besiege Cronje and bombard his force from a safe distance with superior artillery. When Roberts became ill he appointed Lieutenant General Herbert Kitchener
as commander. Kitchener had become known as 'Kitchener of Khartoum' due to his success against the Dervishes in the Sudan. He overruled Kelly-Kenny and ordered an assault on the Boer trenches. The result was 'Bloody Sunday
' — an unnecessary sacrifice of hundreds of lives on the British side. Kelly-Kenny was involved in the engagements at Poplar Grove and Driefontein and was well regarded by historians for his role. After that point the war became a series of guerilla skirmishes.
From 1901 to 1904, he was Adjutant-General to the Forces
. There are references to his touring Japan
as part of a mission to present the Order of the Garter
to the Emperor and to the future King George V
visiting his house in County Clare in 1906.
He retired in 1907 and died in 1914.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Thomas Kelly-Kenny GCB GCVO (1840–1914) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general who served in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
Military career
Kelly-Kenny was born on 27 February 1840 at Doolough Lodge, Treanmanagh near MullaghMullagh, County Clare
Mullagh is a village in County Clare, Ireland. It lies not far from the Atlantic coast, some 5 km southeast of Quilty and 6.5 km south-southeast of Spanish Point...
in County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was educated as a lay student at St. Patrick's College, Carlow, he was the son of Thomas Kelly and added the Kenny surname in 1874. He was appointed Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
without purchase
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
in the 1st Battalion, 2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot
2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot
The Queen's Royal Regiment was a regiment of the English and later British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Army line infantry order of precedence...
on 2 February 1858 and was ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
from 15 November 1859 to January 1860. He was further appointed Lieutenant by purchase on 12 October 1860 and Captain by purchase on 20 July 1866. He was (acting) Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General
Quartermaster general
A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
(QMG) in Bombay from 25 May 1869 to April 1870.
Promoted Colonel on 22 September 1887 he was Assistant Adjutant General
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
(AAG) and QMG from that date until 30 June 1889. Continuing in senior appointments, he was AAG and QMG, North-Eastern District from 1 July 1889–21 September 1892. Later he became AAG Aldershot Garrison
Aldershot Garrison
Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England. Established in 1854, Aldershot has long been seen as the home of the British Army. The garrison was established when the war department brought a large area of land near to the village of...
from 28 December 1893–12 March 1896.
In the Second Anglo-Boer war of 1899–1901 he was, as a Lieutenant-General, General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
the 6th Division. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches and received the Queen’s South African Medal with four clasps. He was involved in the relief of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, the battles of Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, Poplar Grove and Driefontein
Driefontein, Gauteng
Driefontein is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region 3 and Region 5....
.
At the battle of Paardeberg he had a conservative plan to besiege Cronje and bombard his force from a safe distance with superior artillery. When Roberts became ill he appointed Lieutenant General Herbert Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
as commander. Kitchener had become known as 'Kitchener of Khartoum' due to his success against the Dervishes in the Sudan. He overruled Kelly-Kenny and ordered an assault on the Boer trenches. The result was 'Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1900)
For other incidents referred to by this name, see Bloody Sunday.Bloody Sunday of February 18, 1900, was a day of high Imperial casualties in the Second Boer War.It occurred on the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg...
' — an unnecessary sacrifice of hundreds of lives on the British side. Kelly-Kenny was involved in the engagements at Poplar Grove and Driefontein and was well regarded by historians for his role. After that point the war became a series of guerilla skirmishes.
From 1901 to 1904, he was Adjutant-General to the Forces
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
. There are references to his touring Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as part of a mission to present the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
to the Emperor and to the future King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
visiting his house in County Clare in 1906.
He retired in 1907 and died in 1914.
Orders, Decorations & Medals
- Star of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(military division) [GCB cr. 1904]; (ribbons) - Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
[GCVO cr. 1906] - Queen Victoria Jubilee medal
- Coronation medal, 1902
- China War medal 1857-60
- Abyssinian War medal 1867-68
- Queen's South Africa medal 1899-1902
- Order of the Red EagleOrder of the Red EagleThe Order of the Red Eagle was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, or other achievements...
(Knight Grand Cross) [Prussia] - Order of the Rising SunOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(Knight Grand Cross) [Japan]
External links
- Conan Doyle Chapter 20
- General Sir Thomas Kelly-Kenny GCB GCVO 1902-1914 at www.queensroyalsurreys.org.ukWebsite of Surrey Regiment (British army)