Fracis Hugh Patrick Kelly was born in Richmond, Victoria in 1891, the son of Francis Kelly and his wife, Anne or Annie, nee Gellin. Francis Kelly Senior worked for the railways, giving his address on his son's Enlistment Form as Time Keepers' Office, Goods Shed, Spencer St.. Francis Hugh Kelly followed in his father's footsteps, giving his occupation as Motor Engineeer and Driver. 

When he enlisted on 9 July, 1915, Francis Kelly was 24 years and 3 months old. On 16 July, he was sent to the B Company Flemington Depot, serving there until 12 August. On 9 November, he embarked from Australia to Egypt , where he was transferred to the 5th Division Artillery, 25th Howitzer Battery. and posted to the 113th Battery. At that time, Howitzer Batteries were being added to the Field Artillery Brigades, in anticipation of the battles on the Western Front. Howitzer Brigades were equipped with 12 x 4.5 inch Howitzers, heavier guns than the 18 pounder Field Guns; the second numeral indicated the Division to which the Battery was attached. Thus 21 Howitzer Battery was with the 1st Division, while the 25th was the Howitzer Brigade attached to the 5th Division Artillery.  

On 19 June, 1916, Francis Kelly embarked from Alexandria with the British Expeditionary Force, landing at Marseilles on 29 June. On 9 July, he was transferred across  from the 25th Field Artillery Brigade to the 13th F.A.B., then transferred back to the 25th F.A.B. Because the Howitzers had to be in fixed position, to be a Driver 0r a Gunner was an extremely risky occupation and thre F.A.B. were frequently re-located, depending on where the battle was. From July 1916 to January, 1917, Francis Kelly  would have been in significant battles: Fromelles in July, 1916; the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line in July-August. The winter of 1916-1917 was particualrly severe.

The Virtual War Memorial site tells us:

... artillery dominated and defined the battlefield ... its effect was both physical and psychological

On 24 January Francis Kelly was taken ill and sent to hospital in France. He was diagnosed as having a septic foot, probably as a result of being in the tranches. From France, he was sent back to England on 21 February, 1917, on board the hospital ship St George, and admitted to hospital at Exeter. On 11 April, he was sent to convalescence at Larkhill, returning to France from Folkestone.

Francis Kelly rejoined his unit in France on 29 April, 1917, when the Australia forcess were engaged in battle at Bullecoourt. On 28 June, he was the victim of an accident:

The soldier was acting as a brakesman on a G.S. wagon during a move of the Battery, when the wagon jolted in a deep rut and dislodged him from his seat, causing the injury he received. He was in no way to blame. 

It must have kept him out of battle for a while. The next entry in his record shows him rejoining his unit on 24 September, 1917. On 1st October, he was wounded in action, most probably at Passchendaele,  and did not rejoin his unit until 6 January,1918. On 29 January, he was admitted to the 13th Australian Field Ambulance. Placed in the 29th General Hospital at Havre, it was 54 days  before he was well again. He rejoined his unit on 14 April, 1918,  and presumably saw out the remainder of the war with them.

On 15 May, 1919, Francis Kelly sailed home from Devonport, England, to Melbourne on the Orontes. In 1919, he was living at 16 Robe St., St Kilda, and working as a mechanic. In 1926, he changed his address to 9 Smith St., St Kilda Central, again working as a mechanic.He changed address again in 1928 and was living at 12 Grosvenor St., St Kilda. By 1935, he had changed jobs and locale, perhaps because of the Great Depression.  From 1935-1937, he was working as an attendant at the Mental Hospital in Beechworth.

In 1942,  Francis Kelly married Lillian Jane Toohey. He died at Heidelberg, Victoria in 1953.