Joseph Michael Kelly

Leading Aircraftman Joseph Michael Kelly — Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Early Life

There is little surviving detail about Joseph Michael Kelly, but the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission note that he was the son of Hugh and Catherine Kelly of Burnley, Lancashire, and the husband of Clara Kelly, also of Burnley.

Military Service

Joseph had already seen service in uniform long before the Second World War. During the First World War, he served with the South Lancashire Regiment, one of the county’s long-established infantry regiments that fought on the Western Front.

When war came again in 1939, Joseph once more answered the call to duty. Despite being older than many of his comrades, he enlisted with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, where he served as a Leading Aircraftman.

Death and Burial

Herald of Wales

Herald of Wales

On 21^st June 1943, at the age of 51, Joseph’s life came to an unexpected and tragic end. While cycling in Bishopston, near Swansea, he suffered an accident. Reports in the Herald of Wales recorded that the inquest found he had sustained a fracture at the base of his skull, which proved fatal.

Joseph was laid to rest at St. Hilary’s Churchyard, Killay, where his grave lies among those of servicemen far younger than himself.

Legacy

Joseph Michael Kelly
St. Hilary church, Killay
credit - findagrave

The story of Leading Aircraftman Joseph Michael Kelly reminds us that not all wartime losses came from the battlefield or the skies. Some were the result of tragic accidents in the midst of everyday duties. At 51 years old, Joseph was much older than most of those buried at St. Hilary, and his presence among them highlights the wide range of ages and backgrounds of those who served.

For his widow, Clara, the loss was not of a young man at the outset of life, but of a husband and partner with whom she had built a life in Burnley. His grave at Killay ensures that, though far from his Lancashire home, Joseph’s service and sacrifice are not forgotten.