TOPIC:

GRAVE AND HEADSTONE OF 2067 LANCE CORPORAL MICHAEL KELLY: 2ND BATTALION KING'S OWN (ROYAL LANCASTER) REGIMENT

ST. MARY THE VIRGIN,
ASTWOOD LANE,
HANBURY,
BROMSGROVE,
WORCESTERSHIRE,
B60 4BP.
ENGLAND.


CHURCH ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE: SO954644


HEADSTONE ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE:SO955644
Inscribed thus:
"IN MEMORY OF
LANCE CORPORAL
MICHAEL KELLY
KING'S OWN
ROYAL LANCASTER REGIMENT
DIED HANBURY MOUNT
DECEMBER 20TH 1900
R.I.P."


To tell the story of Lance Corporal Kelly, I will quote a recent newspaper report which describes the efforts of local people in replacing his headstone which went missing following damage

From Worcester News, dated 16th December 2020;

"Hanbury remembers a fallen 'stranger'"
"We shall remember them..... even if they are not from our area and we know little about them.
And so it was that a group of people gathered in Hanbury Church and paid their respects to a man they know only from an old Bromsgrove Messenger cutting and a "missing" broken flagstone.
For 120 years Lance Corporal Michael Kelly's body has lain in the churchyard after the 39 year old Boer War veteran died in the Mount Convalescent Hospital.
He had no great connections with the village. It is thought he came from Dudley, no one can find details of his family.
He had come to Hanbury, via South Africa with the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment who he fought with and won a Queen's Medal with. He had seen plenty of action, including surviving the bloody battle of Spion Kop. But his health broke down during the long retreat after the relief of Ladysmith.
It is known he was a Roman Catholic, for when he died there was no ceremony in the church, simply a procession from the hospital and interment in the graveyard under a sandstone memorial.
A stone that became weather damaged over time, then was broken, possibly by a falling tree, and was eventually removed in the 2990s because it was felt to be a safety risk.
And so Lance Corporal Kelly 's body would have lain unmarked but for the Stoke Works and Hanbury branch of the British Legion.
When they came to hear about it they decided that it was important to replace it. If he deserved a memorial in 1900, then he deserved one today.
Last week after a campaign to raise £600 among local people, a new blue plaque was laid in the area of his grave at a socially -distanced service involving the church and the legion."
"Lest We Forget."


Information panel inside the church.

The same report shown in the above information panel was also published in "The Worcestershire Chronicle" of the same date under the heading "A HERO OF SPION KOP: A DUDLEY SOLDIER BURIED AT HANBURY."
Owing to the slightly blurred image above, I will post the report below for the benefit of the reader:

"On Wednesday, an impressive ceremony took place in Hanbury churchyard, at the funeral of Lance Corporal Michael Kelly, late of the Royal Lancaster Regiment.
Corporal Kelly was a native of Dudley and had been twenty years in the service. He was ordered to South Africa last autumn, and went through the whole of General Buller's campaign ending in the relief of Ladysmith. He was one of those who endured the terrible hours on Spion Kop. He was slightly wounded at Pieter's Hill, and in the long forced marches after the relief of Ladysmith his health completely broke down.
He was sent to hospital first to Woodstock, then to Wynberg, and finally invalided home. After a week at Cambridge Hospital at Aldershot, he was sent on sick furlough to Lady Georgina Vernon's Convalescent Home for Soldiers at Hanbury. Though everything was done that care and nursing could do, he gradually sank and died on the 10th of December.
The funeral procession left the home at twelve o'clock. The coffin was borne on a memorial bire( can be seen at Hanbury Church), which was draped with a Union Jack, and almost hidden by wreaths of white flowers. In front was a priest, for Corporal Kelly was a Roman Catholic, preceded by the acolytes carrying incense burners, then a party of fifteen soldiers from the barracks under the command of Lieutenant Pearce, and behind the bier followed ten of the deceased soldier's comrades from the Home, who upon arrival at the church bore the coffin shoulder high to it's last resting place.
The churchyard was filled by a quiet and reverent crowd of sympathisers -not a whisper disturbing the solemn service. When the coffin was lowered into the grave (on the north east side , close to the kissing gate) , three volleys echoed through the stillness, then came the clarion-like notes of the bugle sounding the "Last Post" and thus was laid to rest a soldier who had done his duty on many a battlefield, and had been brought home to sleep in an English country churchyard."

His cause of death was described as Morbus cordis (unspecified heart disease) and dated 9th December 1900 on the panel, but 10th December on other records. His casualty record also appears in Watt (2000) despite his final demise occurring in the UK. Here is a casualty of the conflict that at least got to be buried back in England. However, as it is suggested that he was a resident of Dudley, it is perhaps unusual that his family did not claim his body for interment within their own parish. Perhaps they could not have afforded to have done him justice in the way that the Home had done.
Interestingly, his name does not appear on the South African War Memorial in Dudley, nor on the memorial in Wolverhampton (the Wolverhampton connection will become apparent in the biographic detail to follow).

Unusually for a deceased soldier of the conflict we are fortunate to still have extant attestation papers for Michael Kelly.
A letter attached to his attestation dated 30/05/1899 authorises that Michael Kelly had formerly served in the North Staffordshire Regiment and Army Reserve for a total of 6years and 290 days.
His attestation documents tell us Michael attested as 2067 at Lancaster on 25th April 1887 at the age of 24 years and 2 months, so one can only assume that his service with the North Staffs was prior to this .
He weighed in at 131 lbs, was 5' 6 1/2" tall and had a chest expansion of 34 3/4". He had a fresh complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair and bore no distinguishing marks about his person. He was a Roman Catholic and a Labourer by occupation.
His Queen's South Africa medal bore the clasps; Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Transvaal and Laing's Nek.
Unfortunately, the Next of kin section has no entry, therefore we cannot say with certainty that he did formerly reside in Dudley, Worcestershire.

There is another letter attached to his papers which was clearly written after his death:
"The M.O. Cambridge Hospital,
Can you give me any further particulars of the death of 2067 Lance Corporal Michael Kelly formerly battalion under my command.
I want the following information to enable me to report the death to War Office.
1. The date of his death (pencilled in 10/12/0).
2. The address at which he died (pencilled in Lady Vernon Convalescent Home, Hanbury, Bromsgrove, Lancs.)
3. His disease (pencilled in valve disease of heart).
I wrote to Lady Vernon on 13 inst asking for this information, but have not received a reply."
Rawlesden (barely legible signature)
officer Commanding 1 King's Royal Lancaster Regiment."

The sharp eyed reader with a knowledge of the Midlands will know that Hanbury, Bromsgrove is most definitely not in Lancs!!

Lady Georgina Vernon did not reply to the letter from the Officer Commanding Michael's regiment. Maybe this was because she was suffering her own loss from the conflict in South Africa? More on the next post to this thread.

MEMORIAL TABLET AND STAINED GLASS WINDOW TO CAPTAIN AND BREVET MAJOR HUBERT EDWARD VERNON D.S.O., RIFLE BRIGADE.

ST. MARY THE VIRGIN,
ASTWOOD LANE,
HANBURY,
BROMSGROVE,
WORCESTERSHIRE,
B60 4BP.
ENGLAND.

ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE: SO954644.


ST. Mary the Virgin Church facing entrance door.


Chancel with stained glass window and memorial plaque below.


Stained glass window memorialising Hubert Edward Vernon.


Legend below window.


Memorial plaque of marble with a slight rose tint mounted on a blue marble backboard inscribed thus :

"HUBERT EDWARD VERNON D.S.O.
CAPTAIN AND BREVET MAJOR RIFLE BRIGADE
SECOND SON OF SIR HARRY AND THE LADY GEORGINA VERNON
WAS BORN AT HANBURY HALL7TH MAY 1867.
HE SERVED WITH DISTINCTION IN RHODESIA 1896 & IN THE TRANSVAAL WAR 1899-1902.
HE IS BURIED AT PRETORIA IN SOUTH AFRICA WHERE HE DIED ON 21ST SEPTEMBER 1902 AGED 35 YEARS.
THIS WINDOW IS DEDICATED TO HIS MEMORY BY MANY WHO LOVED HIM."
"THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SHIELD " P.S. XXVII.7.

Watt(2000) states that Hubert died following an accident whilst playing polo. Despite the event of him losing his life occurred some time after the end of hostilities, Watt included Hubert in his roll of honour "In Memoriam." Interestingly, as noted in the previous post on this thread, Lance Corporal Michael Kelly who died whilst in the care of Hubert's mother at her convalescent home for soldier's at Hanbury, he was also noted in Watt even though he died back in the UK. This is unusual as men who did not die in South Africa are not normally found listed in "In Memoriam."

MUCH MORE TO FOLLOW .....

As you walk into the church of St. Mary the Virgin at Hanbury, you will be immediately struck by the number of memorial plaques to the Vernon family before you even reach the memorial stained glass window and plaque to Hubert. The Vernons were a very prominent family in the area.

Hubert Edward Vernon was born on 7th May 1867 at Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire and baptised on 9th June 1867 at St. Mary the Virgin, Hanbury.
He was the son of Sir Harry Foley Vernon and Lady Georgina Sophia Baillie Hamilton. He appears on the Census of 1881 at the age of 13 and a scholar at Wixenford Preparatory School, Lower Common, Hampshire. He would continue his education at Eton and Sandhurst and gazetted on June 20th 1888 to the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade.

Further information for Hubert is to be found on this forum under the thread entitled " Non-Boer War: Distinguished Service Order Victorian (1886-1902).

ST. MARY'S CHURCH,
STANFORD WITH ORLETON,
WORCESTERSHIRE,
WR6 6SH.



Situated in a prominent position in the hills along the Teme Valley roughly halfway between Stourport- on -Severn and Bromyard, this church has an impressive stained glass window commemorating the son of an important local family.
While he did not die in South Africa, his service is recorded on the stained glass window.


Located on the left hand side of the church.


"In loving memory of Francis Salwey Winnington died 4th February 1913 aged 31. Served in South Africa Coldstream Guards 1901 1902.
Erected by his sorrowing parents and his sister Jinney Fletcher of Saltoun"

Biographical Information

Francis had an incredible genealogy which could, in it's own domain, spawn a fascinating project for researchers studying the prominent families of Worcestershire.

His lineage in Britain begins with an ancestor who was given land in the Teme Valley following the conquest of William the Conqueror. His family remained in the vicinity as evidenced by tombs and memorial tablets located within St. Mary's Church.
Sir Humphrey Salwey (1411-1493) and his wife are within a tomb inside the church.
Amongst the other notable descendants commemorated on plaques and tablets are Sir Thomas Winnington who was Member of Parliament for Droitwich from 1725 to 1741, and Salwey Winnington who married a member of the Foley family (another wealthy local family).

Francis Salwey Winnington was born in Middlesex, England on the 4th May 1881 to parents Sir Francis Salwey Winnington (31) and Jane Spencer Churchill (23). Here you begin to see the stock from which Francis was raised, his father being the High Sheriff of Worcestershire.
He was baptized at All Saints, Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, Middlesex on 7th June 1881.

The Census of 1901 finds him residing at St. George Hanover Square, London and a Right Officer Coldstream Guards (2nd. Lieutenant). and garrisoned at Chelsea Barracks, Bridge Road, Chelsea.

He did not participate in any of the major engagements of the Coldstream Guards as shown by his clasp entitlement for his Queen's South Africa medal, being entitled to the clasps Cape Colony and South Africa 1902, and does not appear on any casualty lists

On returning to Civvy Street, he married Blanch Emma Casberd- Boteler (aged 27) in 1904 at St. Peter Church. Pimlico, Middlesex. The union produced a single on, Thomas.

Francis Salwey Winnington, died aged 31, in the first quarter of 1913 in London.

For anyone wishing to visit, the church is open during daylight hours and there is ample car parking space off the main road.
Additionally, the views of the Teme Valley from this high vantage point are well worth stopping by for.