Another BillyBuilt Product

1. The original Army Form B.200 is in my possession. See HERE on this site for a copy

 of the front and HERE for the back.

2. The original Army Form B.2079 is in my possession. See HERE on this site for a copy.

2a. The original Army Form B.2067 is in my posession. See HERE on this site for a copy.

3. All periods between specified dates calculated by the website https://www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html External link.

4. ‘Boy Soldiers of the Great War’ External link.

5. Per official letter from Superintendent Registrar, Central Registration Office, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, to me. See HERE on this site for a copy.

5a. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie External link.

5b. The civil record of the marriage between John Kennelly and Bridget Moriarty of Knocknaboola on 5 March 1886 can be found here:

https://bit.ly/KennellyMoriartyMarriage  . External link.

5c. The civil record of the illegitimate birth on 28 February 1884 of John Moriarty to Bridget Moriarty of Knocknaboola, which notably was not registered until 19 March 1886, some 2 weeks after Bridget Moriarty married John Kennelly - see 5b above. The entry in the register can be inspected here (No. 177): https://bit.ly/MoriartyBirthIllegitimate   . External link.

6. Confirmed by an exchange of a series of emails between me and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killorglin. Not reproduced here.

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puck_Fair External link.

8. The original Marriage Certificate is in my possession. See HERE on this site for a copy.

9. The original Army Form B.2066 is in my possession. See HERE on this site for a copy.

10. I have the original of Euphemia Page Green’s Certificate of Birth which, together with subsequent entries in Scottish Census Returns, confirms this. See HERE for a copy.

11. The original Birth Certificate for John Edward Kennelly is in my possession. His birth is also noted in RGA records on Form B200 (see Point 1 above). The Birth Certificate is not reproduced here.

12. The original Birth Certificate for Bridget Norah Kennelly is in my possession. Her birth is also noted in RGA records on Form B200 (see Point 1 above). The Birth Certificate is not reproduced here.

13. As confirmed by this site https://ukcensusonline.com/. External link.

13a. I have John’s engraved silver medals still in their presentation boxes and his team photographs in my possession. Not reproduced here.

14. The original Birth Certificate for George Charles Kennelly is in my possession. His birth is also noted in RGA records (see Point 1 above). The Birth Certificate is not reproduced here.

15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_6-inch_26_cwt_howitzer . External link.

16. BSM John Kennelly’s DCM award, London Gazette, Issue 30450, 28 December 1917, page 61, available online here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30450/supplement/61. External link.

16a. The direct quote of BSM John Kennelly’s DCM Citation; London Gazette, Issue 30636, 16 April 1918, page 23, available online here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30636/supplement/4671. External link.

17. See in particular the excellent website by Sean Page, whose Grandfather, George Hamilton, joined the Battery on the same day as Sergeant John Kennelly: http://www.293siegebattery.co.uk. External link.

17a. An excellent summary of the Battle of Messines can be found HERE. External link.

17b. An excellent summary of the Battle of Passchendaele can be found HERE. External link.

17c. This information provided by this source, available HERE. External link.

17d. Quote by Richard Foot in the Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Passchendaele available HERE. External link.

17e. Martin Marix Evans, ‘’Passchendaele: The Hollow Victory’, available HERE. External link.

18. The 293 Siege Battery’s War Diary is available from the National Archives in Kew under reference WO 95/479/9 . External link.

19. See the private letter written after WWI to BSM Kennelly from his former Commanding Officer, and signed ‘E N Aston, Captain [former Major?] RGA, late O.C. 194 S. Bty. R.G.A.’ dated 7 December 1919, which is in my possession. The whole of the letter is reproduced on this site HERE (5 pages) as it contains some interesting background not mentioned elsewhere.

20. The movements and actions of the 194 Siege Battery RGA can be found in the 87 Brigade  RGA’s War Diary, which  can be found in the National Archives in Kew under reference WO 95/326/1. External link.

21. A good summary of which can be found on Wikipedia HERE.

21a. Quote from C N Trueman, ‘The German Spring Offensive Of 1918’, available here: https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/battles-of-world-war-one/the-german-spring-offensive-of-1918/

22. The 17 Heavy Artillery Group War Diary can be found in the National Archives in Kew under reference WO 95/388/1 . External link.

23. BSM John Kennelly’s MSM award, London Gazette, Issue 30750, 17 June 1918, page 7154, available online here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30750/supplement/7154. This is also mentioned in his former OC’s 5-page post-war letter, a copy of which can be found HERE. External link.

23a. BSM John Kennelly’s Mention in Dispatches (MiD), London Gazette, Issue 31080, 20 December 1918, page 11, available online here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31080/supplement/15035. (External link.) The MiD is also mentioned in his former OC’s 5-page post-war letter, a copy of which can be found HERE on this site.

24. See here for more information - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Offensive#cite_ref-marix63_23-0. External link.

25. I have the original letter dated 16 February 1920 from the Adjutant No. 19 (Forth) Fire Command RGA at Inchkeith confirming this. See HERE on this site for a copy.

26. The change was introduced by Army Order 338 in August 1920.

27. THIS LINK (External link) takes readers to the modern equivalent ceremony which differs from what it was when BSM John Kennelly performed the duty

28. Letter of recommendation dated 9 April 1919 from ‘E B Pigott, Captain RGA, O.C. 194 SB’. A copy of which can be seen HERE on this site.

 29. I have the original letter from ‘J B Haig, Major RA, Commanding Officer, DE., RA., Forth Defences’ confirming this (Not included in ‘Documents’).

30. I have the original Death Certificate in my possession. Notably it shows that my Grandfather’s parents were ‘John Kennelly’ and ‘Bridget Kennelly M.S. Morarty’, so the Registrar had partially corrected the transcription errors in my Grandfather’s Marriage Certificate - see Point 8 above. A copy of the Death Certificate can be seen HERE on this site.

31. I have the original medal group of BSM J Kennelly DCM MSM 9541 RGA in possession. See HERE on this site for a photograph of their obverse.

32. Documentary evidence substantiating John Kennelly’s Army service and pension was kindly provided by Sean Page whose Grandfather, George Hamilton, also served in 293 SB, and I would recommend readers to visit Sean’s website, http://www.293siegebattery.co.uk/index.html.  Sean’s website is a splendid work in progress with  more comprehensive and complete information on the 293 SB and those who served in it than that which appears anywhere else on the internet. Unfortunately the Army document which Sean Page sent me is too large to include a copy of on this website, suffice to say that it reiterates the fiction that John Kennelly was ‘19 years and nil months’ on enlistment, but it also mentions that my Grandfather was a ‘Clerk’ prior to enlistment, not a Farm Labourer, but that might equally have been untrue.