!MENTION: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon and Alick Morrison, THE
MACLEODS--THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section II, Edinburgh, The Clan
MacLeod Society, 1968, p. 43.
Born on 18th July 1884, [he] was educated at Edinburgh Academy and
H.M.S. BRITANNIA. He joined H.M.S. MAJESTIC at Portsmouth on the day of
Queen Victoria''s funeral and served in H.M.S. ALBION on the China coast,
and later with Destroyers in Home Waters. In World War I as
Lt.-Commander, he served, first, on H.M.S. PATHFINDER. He then
commanded T.B.10 which was sunk by a mine in the English Channel.
After this, he commanded the "Q" Ships, H.M.S. ZILPHA II and H.M.S.
HYDERABAD. The latter was a tramp steamer fitted out for its new role
by Sir John Thorneycroft to "Jock''s" own specification. Her crew wre
mostly Lewis Men with a strong quota of MacLeods. It is sad to recall
that few of them ever saw their homes again for the IOLAIRE, which was
carrying them home on demobilisation struck the BEASTS OF HOLM at the
entrance to Stornoway Harbour with appalling lost of life. While
returning from the West Indies, ZILPHA II engaged an enemy submarine,
which she claimed to have sunk, but ZILPHA II was badly damaged and in
a sinking condition for three days in a severe gale, while attempts were
made to tow hher to the Irish coast. The crew were taken off before the
end and the Commander MacLeod with the small part on the Bridge were
picked up swimming. Lt.-Commander MacLeod wa awarded the D.S.O. In
1919 H.M.S. HYDERABAD accompanied General Ironside''s expedition to
North Russia and acted as the R.N. Depot Ship on the Dwina River. In the
evacuation from Murmansk, H.M.S. HYDERABAD, although in an
unseaworthy condition, brought 1,000 troops safely home through one of
the worst North Sea gales and being three days overdue, was the cause of
considerable anxiety. After this experience, John Kelty, was no longer
fit for service on the sea, and a shore post was found for him at
Portsmouth. His last work was the piloting of of the SHOREHAM TOWER
from the Harbour to its position in the Lolent in vary bad weather. From
exposure and fatigue, he contracted pneumonia and died in Haslar
Hospital on 23rd September 1820. He was unmarried.