Son of Newfoundland soldier retraces his father's footsteps – all the way to England

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Ian Kelly made a travel to the southbound of England to commemorate Newfoundland's Memorial Day portion honouring his father, who served successful the 59th (Newfoundland) Regiment during the Second World War.

Ian Kelly's begetter was a subordinate of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Artillery Regiment

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 7:07 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 1

A antheral   successful  a suit   looking towards the sky.

Ian Kelly's begetter was a subordinate of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Artillery Regiment and was stationed successful Ashford, Kent. (Ashford School/Facebook)

Where erstwhile his begetter stood successful 1941, past week Ian Kelly stood connected the grounds of the Ashford School successful Kent, England.

The schoolhouse crossed the Atlantic Ocean has a peculiar transportation to the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Artillery Regiment. Its students moved retired temporarily successful 1941 truthful it could service arsenic a barracks portion the soldiers defended the seashore of England during the Second World War. 

Kelly said his begetter Lewis Kelly was stationed determination until 1943, wherever helium was past sent to France, followed by Holland and Germany.

"It's been an astonishing experience… to locomotion successful the footsteps of not lone wherever my father's been, but the soldiers of the 59th who gave truthful overmuch during the war," Kelly told CBC Radio's On the Go.

More than 80 years later, the school is commemorating that connection. A monument to the regiment was erected adjacent the aged barracks and weapon sites successful 2024. It also celebrated its 2nd Newfoundland Memorial Day connected Saturday.

"They mean to bash this each year," said Kelly.

Memorial Day successful Newfoundland and Labrador falls connected July 1.

A memorial headstone.

The Ashford School has erected a memorial paying tribute to 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Artillery Regiment and present big a Newfoundland Memorial Day. (Ashford School/Facebook)

Kelly is presently touring the southbound of England with the assistance of Judith Holloway and the school's chaplain Rev. Richard Bellamy, who unrecorded successful the area.

"Judith conscionable gets a tremendous magnitude of credit," said Kelly. "She is an astonishing researcher."

Holloway has been digging into Newfoundland's warfare past for respective years now. It started erstwhile she recovered the headstone of Walter Pike, the lone Newfoundlander buried successful Ashford. He died portion stationed astatine the school.

"Although helium was truthful acold distant from home, helium wasn't forgotten," said Holloway.

She recovered retired Pike was a gunner with the 59th Regiment, and travelled to St. John's successful 2019 to conscionable his member Frank, who did not person the accidental to sojourn the sedate tract successful Kent.

Holloway has launched a task with Bellamy called History Around Us, with Ashford School students moving to find radical connected to the men who spent clip connected the precise aforesaid grounds.

"We're trying to assistance our young radical to admit the sacrifices that were made successful the interests of justness and bid successful the European conflict," said Bellamy.

"This communicative is adjacent to location — you cognize —  this is connected our doorstep."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maddie Ryan is simply a newsman and subordinate shaper successful St. John's. Reach her astatine [email protected].

    With files from On The Go

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