Leo is the son of Thomas Kelly and Marion Brown. He was born at Queenstown, Central Otago, New Zealand on the 2 Apr 1906.
At some point, Leo decided to move to Australia and join the fight in WWII. He applied and was accepted into the Australian Army in Townsville, Queensland in 1939 and was court-martialed and discharged in 1942.
World War 2 Service
| 18 Nov 1939: | Involvement Private, SN QX3757 | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1939: | Enlisted | |
| 18 Nov 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, SN QX3757 | |
| 31 Jul 1942: | Discharged | |
| 31 Jul 1942: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, SN QX3757 |
In about 1947 he was involved in mining accident at Mungana, in the central Top End of Queensland, which resulted in the loss of a leg.
This event sent Leo on a spiral of drunkenness, begging, assault and court appearances across the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The newspapers reported often on his court appearances, of which there were more than 65, sometimes twice in a week. He endured numerous stints in jail from days to months.
The last newspaper mention of Leo is in April 1953, again in court in Townsville for begging alms in the street, which at that time, was illegal.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/62481213?searchTerm=leo%20patrick%20kelly
There are several Court Session notes from Moe and Yarrawonga in Victoria, Australia from Sep 1955 until Jun 1965, which indicate further court events. These were “Petty Session” so it would seem the spiral of verbal obscenities, drinking, begging, theft and trespassing continued.
After that, there is silence, so I have a suspicion either he left Australia (possibly returning to NZ, although there is no evidence of that) or he died a lonely death and was buried in an unmarked grave with little or no ceremony. My thoughts are on the latter at this stage. But if you can help me find out more about Leo, I would appreciate that.