Captain Christopher John Patrick O'Kelly of the
52nd Battalion received the Victoria Cross for bravery
in action at Passchendaele, 26 October 1917. He was
only 20 years old. The regiment's Honours and Awards
book details this account of his action:
"Captain O'Kelly led his company with extraordinary skill and determination while advancing over 1,000 yards against the enemy under heavy fire without any artillery barrage. He took the enemy positions on a hill by storm and then personally organized and led a series of attacks against machine gun pill boxes. His compnay alone captured 10 machine guns and more than 100 prisoners. Later under the leadership of this gallant officer, his company repelled a strong counter attack, taking more prisoners. That night his company captured a hostile raiding party consisting of one officer and 10 men and a machine gun."O'Kelly returned to Canada after the war and took up prospecting near Ear Falls, Ontario. In 1922, he drowned in a sudden squall on a lake about 40 miles south of Red Lake, Ontario.
Photo courtesy of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.