On Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Able Seaman Edward Kelly serving on S.S. Akeld with the Merchant Navy who died  09/03/1940.

The son of Edward and Margaret Ellen Kelly and the husband of Maria Kelly, of Windy Nook, Gateshead, Co. Durham.

Colin Boyd has provided the following:

Edward was born January 29th 1900 in Gateshead to Edward Kelly, a coal vendor, and his wife, Margaret Ellen. By the time of the 1911 Census the family, now consisting of one daughter and four sons, were living at 106, St. James Street, Gateshead.

Edward joined the Royal Navy as a boy in 1916 and signed up for 12 years man’s service on his eighteenth birthday. He was described as being 5 feet 3½ inches tall with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. Obviously something went wrong as over the next nineteen months Edward was disciplined 8 times and sentenced to a total of 43 days in cells and 97 days in detention until he deserted on September 6th 1919.  Edward was recovered on September 25th 1919, sentenced to 28 days detention in Bodmin Jail and dismissed from the service October 28th 1919.

It is not clear when Edward joined the Merchant Navy but, in July 1927, he married Maria J. Wardle in Gateshead and they set up home at 9, Brettonby Road, Windy Nook.

Edward lost his life when SS “Akeld” was torpedoed and sunk by U-9 off the coast of Belgium with the loss of all hands.

His widow, Maria married Percy Wheatley in Gateshead in January 1949 and died in January 1977 aged 73.

Edward Kelly is remembered at Gateshead in G39.135 page 53, at Windy Nook on W95.01 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.