DUNNVILLE—Lest we forget has no time limit, and it’s never too late to recognize an ancestor’s sacrifice. Dr. Jim Kelly, a Stratford resident today but a Dunnville native, contacted The Press wishing to pay tribute to his late grandfather, Major Edward Thomas Kelly, a World War I soldier and member of the 37th Haldimand Rifles who died during the second battle of Ypres on April 24, 1915.
Edward was one of 55,000 “lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient” and commemorated on the walls of the Menin Gate Memorial, says Veterans Canada. The impressive memorial, erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, features ramparts that overlook the moat and pillared loggias which played backdrop to one of World War I’s most infamous series of battles.
An arch over the panels bearing the names of the dead reads, ‘TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE FROM 1914 TO 1918 AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE.’
Jim’s letter to The Press recalled visiting the memorial for a service honouring the soldiers commemorated there. He wrote, “Ypres was the gateway to England and we can only wonder what the world would be like had the enemy been successful in crossing over to England.”
“The Menin Road was the pathway to Flanders Fields and the frontlines. 90,000 officers and men perished in the mud of the scarred terrain and were never found. 55,000 of these have their names inscribed in this Menin edifice. 35,000 are remembered in the Tyne Cot memorial in Passchendaele,” he explained.
The Menin Gate was first unveiled to the public in July 1927, and nearly 100 years later, the thing that impresses Jim the most is that from 1927 to today, two buglers perform The Last Post every evening at 8 p.m.
“The exception to this was when the German Army occupied this area during WWII until September 6, 1944. During that period, it was carried on at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, England. As there is so much tradition in Europe, the buglers wear a uniform of the local fire brigade of which they must be members,” said Jim.
His letter continued, “The Last Post was the Bugle Call played in the British Army to mark the end of a day’s labour and the onset of the night’s rest. In the context of remembrance, it represents a final farewell to the fallen at the end of their earthly labours and the onset of their eternal rest.”
Jim recalled that there was not a dry eye among the approximately 75 people who joined him for the ceremony.
One of the inscriptions in the gates, credited to Rudyard Kipling, reads, “Here are recorded the names of Officers and Men who fell in the Ypres Salient, but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”
Jim’s letter concluded, “A wreath placed by various British Regiments says it all: ‘When you go home tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today’…. If you know of someone, or do not, whose name might be here, it would be well worth a visit to participate in this ceremony and give thanks.”

The Press reached out to Jim for additional information, but as he is currently in the hospital and unable to reply, his nephew Paul responded, including providing letters sent home to family during the war.
An excerpt from a letter Edward wrote on March 13, 1915 reads, “We go into the trenches again tonight. On our return from the trenches, I got orders to have my men ready to make a demonstration early next morning to discourage the enemy from making a counter attack. Two of our divisions attacked. We succeeded in pushing the enemy back about three miles, captured Neuve Chapelle and vicinity, also about 800 prisoners. To put it plainly we took a bite out of the enemies’ position.”
Another letter details a slice of daily life for Edward at the time: “We have had no rain for some days and the mud has dried up wonderfully. We have four days in the trenches and four out. Our supplies are hauled up to about a mile from here and are carried in from there. Sometimes we use a push cart for the first half mile. Our men are in fine spirits, are well fed – no starvation here as we had in South Africa.”
Finally, an excerpt from a letter addressed to his sister and dated December 29, 1914, described how Edward spent his final Christmas overseas: “We had a most enjoyable day here. I never seen such a happy bunch of men. The Col. had to go into hospital with a sore eye. Col. Buell spent the day with his family who have come over to Salisbury. Being third in command I had to take charge. We had many invitations out to dinner from Privates’ families and Clubs but most of our men preferred to remain here except those who have relatives. We had fowl, roast lamb and pork, fruit, nuts, plum pudding, beer + cigarettes. I am sure we will never forget it.”
The Dunnville Chronicle from April 28, 1915 includes a letter from Major Fred C. Piper, directly referencing the 37th and Edward. It read, “The 37 have won laurels. They have been brave in the extreme. They would have won out had it not been for the poisonous gases used by those fiends. They have gained a name that will never be forgotten. All glory to them. The dead have indeed given their lives for the brethren and a rich reward awaits them. To the bereaved our Chaplain extends the warmest sympathy. They have been honoured too and they too will receive their reward. At time of writing a wire has reached me, that dear Major Kelly is wounded and missing.”
The clip continues, “I learned to love him dearly for his unselfish, soldierly life. It is well with him no matter what happens. The wounded will receive the greatest care, as soon as they can be reached. Thank God we are able to have them in our midst shortly to minister to them after each battle. Please assure their loved ones that we will do all in our power to relieve their sufferings.”
A later article, dated March 22, 1918, includes the opening statement ‘Hope Must Be Abandoned’, and goes on to describe how Edward’s wife was presented with personal effects found on the battlefield, including a loose-leaf notebook, his glasses, and a few letters that looked as though they had “been exposed to the rain and weather for months.… As they were doubtless in the pocket of his tunic, the finding of these articles would seem to destroy all hope that the Major is still surviving the battle in which he was participating when last seen alive.”
Further information on Edward’s past can be found in a From Past Forward Heritage Limited article posted in May, 2003, which noted that Kelly had 20 years of military service, including serving in the Boer War ahead of WWI.
The article notes of the battle which claimed Edward’s life, “This is the battle where John McCrae wrote his classic Canadian war poem In Flanders Fields.”
The Haldimand Press salutes Major Edward Thomas Kelly for giving his life in defence of our great country. It is clear through his family’s love for him that his legacy will live on for another 100 years and beyond.