A Canadian Dcm Mm Pair For Attending Wounded Under Fire At Cambrai

Distinguished Conduct Medal (naming erased); and Military Medal (902249 Pte J.J. KIELY. 42 QUEBEC R.). Naming is officially impressed on the MM but has been partially erased. Un-mounted, light contact on both, other than on the heavily scratches edges, very fine. Accompanied by copies of his Index Cards, Attestation Paper, Service Records, Medical Records, Pay Records and Discharged Certificates, along with five photographs of his grave marker, plus assorted research papers. Footnote: John Joseph Kiely was born on March 3, 1896, the son of Thomas Kiely and Isabell Kiely of South River Station, Nova Scotia. He signed his Attestation Paper with the 193rd Infantry Battalion "Nova Scotia Highlanders" in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, on April 5, 1916, naming his next-of-kin as his mother, stating that he had two years previous military service in camp with the 18th Field Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, that he was not married and that his trade was that of Canadian Government Railways Trackman (CGR was the legal name used between 1915–1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada). The Battalion was raised in Nova Scotia, with mobilization headquarters at Truro under the authority of G.O. 69, July 15, 1916. The Battalion sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Olympic on October 12, 1916, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. Stanfield with a strength of 32 officers and 1.020 other ranks, arriving in Liverpool, England on the 19th. Six weeks later, Kiely was transferred to the 42nd Infantry Battalion on December 5, 1916, arriving at the Canadian Base Depot in France on the 6th. He left for his unit on December 30th, arriving with them on January 2, 1917. While in France, he was admitted to hospital three times: at No. 23 Casualty Clearing Station on March 9, 1917 for four days with a case of Bronchitis, then discharged on the 13th; at No. 7 General Hospital at St. Omer on May 16, 1917 for one month with the Mumps, then discharged on June 17th; and at No. 4 Canadian Field Ambulance on June 27, 1918 for two weeks, diagnosed with "P.U.O." (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin = fever), then discharged on July 10th. Kiely was awarded his Military Medal on September 27, 1918 and cited for his MM in the London Gazette 31173 on February 11, 1919. He was appointed Lance Corporal on September 30, 1918, was on a Special Course at the Canadian Corps School on October 8, 1918, until he returned to his unit on November 17th, the day he was promoted to Corporal. Upon the ceasing of hostilities, he proceeded to England on February 17, 1919. Kiely was struck off strength of the Overseas Forces of Canada at Bramshott, embarking for Canada on March 1, 1919, arriving in Halifax on March 9th. He was discharged upon demobilization at Dispersal Station "B", Military District No. 6 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 15, 1919, credited with having served in Canada, Britain and France. Kiely was awarded his Distinguished Conduct Medal on June 19, 1919 (3rd Division Order 3754 on December 8, 1918, London Gazette 31225 on March 12, 1919) and cited in the London Gazette 31668 on December 2, 1919: "North of Cambrai, 29/30 September 1918, he showed marked courage in dressing wounded men under very heavy machine-gun fire. When four men had been wounded he went back out to them and dressed them and brought them back. On another occasion, when a man was wounded by machine-gun fire, he rushed out and dressed him. While he was doing this the casualty was hit three times by machine-gun bullets, and a corporal who ran out to them was killed. He showed throughout the highest devotion to duty." He died in 1963 in Langley, British Columbia and it states on his grave marker, that he had been with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as a Warrant Officer.