CPL Walter William Kelly

courtesy of Marijke Taffein

CPL Walter William Kelly was born 17 Mar 1898 in Marion, Virginia.  He was the 4th of 9 children born to Richard and Charity Elizabeth (Hudler) Kelly (or Kelley). The family farmed.

Walter enlisted in L Company 2nd Virginia Infantry at Pulaski, Virginia on 4 Apr 1917. After participating in Mexican Border service, the unit returned home only to be re-called for service in France.  The unit  was reorganized as part of M Company 116th Infantry and Walter was with them.  They trained at Camp McClellan, Alabama and then shipped out for France aboard the USS Finland in June 1918.  After training in trench warfare, the unit was moved into a "quiet" sector and then put in the thick of things beginning an attack on 8 Oct 1918.  CPL Kelly was killed in action on 12 Oct 1918.

CPL Kelly is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

Grandfather, Christopher Columbus Kelly, served as a PVT in D Company 18th North Carolina Infantry and 21st Virginia Cavalry in the Civil War.