The Icelandic connection - 01.12.2020, Side 31

Vol. 71 #4
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
173
captured machine gun. This decisive
action prevented the German gun crew
from inflicting more serious casualties
on the attackers and Christopher
O’Kelly was one of three men to win the
gallantry award for their decisive action,
The Military Cross. He later received
this medal at Buckingham Palace on
December 19 th , 1917 from King George
V. O’Kelly was subsequently granted the
rank of Acting Captain.
In the meantime as the fighting
continued, Canadian troops on October
6th, 1917 began relieving the New
Zealanders who were carrying out
the attack on Passchendaele Ridge in
Belgium. The 52nd Battalion joined
the attack where the 43rd and 58th
Battalions had suffered heavy casualties
without achieving the brigade objective
of the German front line. Both C and
D Companies of the 52nd had moved
forward to assist holding that part of
the line which had been captured. At
the same time, it was learned that the
remaining German pillboxes (concrete
defensive structures in the German lines)
on the Bellevue Spur,
dominated the
captured ground
below, inflicting
heavy casualties on
the 43rd, Battalion.
Orders were received
from brigade
headquarters for the
52nd Battalion to fill
the gap on the left
of the 43rd with A
Company, flank the
German pillboxes
with B Company
and push through the
58th to secure the
rest of the spur with
D Company. The
entire brigade assault now rested on the
52nd Battalion supported by the other
two units.
Captain O’Kelly led his company
over 1000 yards under heavy fire without
any artillery barrage, capturing the enemy
positions on the crest of the hill on
November 6th, 1917. He then organized
and led a series of attacks against the “Pill-
boxes”, where his company captured six of
them with 100 prisoners and 10 machine
guns. Later on in the afternoon, he led
his company to repel a strong counter-
attack, taking more prisoners, and later in
the night captured a hostile raiding party
consisting of one officer, 10 men and a
machine gun.
In this action, Acting Captain
Christopher O’Kelly received the
highest award “For Valour” in the British
Commonwealth, the Victoria Cross. He
received his award at Buckingham Palace
on March 25th, 1918 from King George
V, for his gallant action. At this point in his
life, Acting Captain Christopher O’Kelly
had won both the Military Cross and the
Victoria Cross, before his 22nd birthday,