59 Private Jesse Edward Kelly - 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron AIF
Jess Edward Kelly was born in Chicago USA in 1885. Much of his early life is unknown but it appears he took to sea at a young age.
In 1917 his ship had arrived in Fremantle and he left the maritime service and took up residence in Fremantle at 97 Market Street. The Americans had declared war on Germany in April 1917. Instead of going back to the USA to enlist, Jess instead signed up for the Australian Imperial Force.
He was passed as fit for enlistment, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 10 inches tall;
Weight - 154lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-37 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Brown.
After his successful enlistment, Jess was sent to Claremont Camp where he was assigned to the Light Horse Depot Training Squadron. Jess had passed his riding tests and was soon posted to the reinforcements to the Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron.
On the 30th June 1917 Jess and his group embarked from Fremantle harbour aboard the transport ship Port Lincoln and set sail to Egypt. The men were disembarked at Suez on the 6th August 1917 and were sent to the Machine Gun Training Squadron at Moascar. He spent several weeks here and was then taken on strength of the 3rd Australian Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron.
Jess served with his new unit in the operations around Beersheba in October 1917 and Jerusalem in November 1917. He was then sent to hospital with a bruised back/lumbago. He had over a month on recovery and rejoined his unit on the 8th January 1918. He would see action with his unit around Jericho in January 1918.
The advance then went into the Jordan Valley. On the 26th February 1918 Jess was sent to a rest camp at Port Said. He then rejoined his unit on the 10th March 1918. On the 25th April 1918 he reported sick and was sent initially to the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance and then the 26th Casualty Clearing Station at Ludd. He was then sent to the 43rd Stationary Hospital and then the 24th Stationary Hospital at Kantara. He was initially diagnosed with a 'PUO' or pyrexia of unknown origin.
He would spent the next several weeks in hospital and rests camps and by the end of June 1918 was ready to return to his unit but then fell ill with gastritis. This necessitated a further stay in hospital which stretched to a few months. Jess rejoined the 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron on the 17th October 1918.
He was with his unit when the Turkish forces surrendered and also when the Germans surrendered on November 11th 1918. He was sent to hospital in Tripoli and then returned to Egypt. The next six months were spent going between his unit and hospital.
Jess left Egypt aboard the transport ship Oxfordshire on the 10th July 1919, arriving at Fremantle on the 4th August 1919.
Jess was then discharged from the AIF on the 31st October 1919.
Jess then returned home to the United States. He seems to have come to Australia once more in the 1930's when he asked for replacement discharge papers. He had lost his originals in Buffalo City USA. It appears that's when Jess also claimed his war medals.
