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

Where once his father stood in 1941, last week Ian Kelly stood on the grounds of the Ashford School in Kent, England.

The school across the Atlantic Ocean has a special connection to the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Artillery Regiment. Its students moved out temporarily in 1941 so it could serve as a barracks while the soldiers defended the coast of England during the Second World War. 

Kelly said his father Lewis Kelly was stationed there until 1943, where he was then sent to France, followed by Holland and Germany.

"It's been an amazing experience… to walk in the footsteps of not only where my father's been, but the soldiers of the 59th who gave so much 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 near the old barracks and gun sites in 2024. It also celebrated its second Newfoundland Memorial Day on Saturday.

"They intend to do this every year," said Kelly.

Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador falls on July 1.

Kelly is currently touring the south of England with the help of Judith Holloway and the school's chaplain Rev. Richard Bellamy, who live in the area.

"Judith just gets a tremendous amount of credit," said Kelly. "She is an amazing researcher."

Holloway has been digging into Newfoundland's war history for several years now. It started when she found the headstone of Walter Pike, the only Newfoundlander buried in Ashford. He died while stationed at the school.

"Although he was so far away from home, he wasn't forgotten," said Holloway.

She found out Pike was a gunner with the 59th Regiment, and travelled to St. John's in 2019 to meet his brother Frank, who did not have the chance to visit the grave site in Kent.

Holloway has launched a project with Bellamy called History Around Us, with Ashford School students working to locate people connected to the men who spent time on the very same grounds.

"We're trying to help our young people to appreciate the sacrifices that were made in the interests of justice and peace in the European conflict," said Bellamy.