Hugh in Take My Life
I don't know exactly when Hugh was born or where but the evidence suggests that it was 1917 and probably in India.
Hugh's father was Gilbert Isdell Harvey-Kelly (1889-1952). The Harvey-Kelly family have a long history of serving in the military in India and the Middle-East. Gilbert's mother, Constance, was the sister of General Lionel Charles Dunstervile, on whom Rudyard Kipling based the character of Stalky in his novel Stalky & Co.
Major Hubert Dunsterville Harvey-Kelly (1891�1917) who was a renowned World War 1 aviator may have been Gilbert's younger brother, he was certainly a relative anyhow. Hugh's mother was Rosamond Gertrude Nuttall (1888-1972). She was the daughter of Harry Nuttall who was for several years the Member of Parliament for Stretford, Manchester. Gilbert and Rosamond married in Bombay in 1914 - this is a transcript from the The Times of India (available at The Families In British India Society website):
In 1917 Gilbert was an officer in the Indian Reserve Army which is why I think Hugh was born over there. Kelly's Directory for 1924 shows that Gilbert was by then living at Westbourne Road in Birkdale, Lancs. Gilbert must have been an automobile enthusiast as he was president of the Southport Motor and British Beach Racing Club.
Hugh's birth name was Harry Hubert Dunsterville Harvey-Kelly. He sailed to Morocco in Sept. 1938 - we can see in the shipping record that he is stated to be 21 years old:
The shipping record lists his occupation as "student", and gives his address as Westbourne Road, Birkdale. Where was Hugh a student? Well, this was at the Old Vic. In April 1939, he and other students put on the play The Country Wife at Toynbee Hall. We can see that he was known then as Hugh Harvey-Kelly - from The Stage:
In the cast, we can see a fellow student called Mariana Hankamer (1918-2005). She was to become Hugh's wife. Their engagement was announced in the Hull Daily Mail on 9th May 1939 - we can see that 'Uncle Stalky' gets a mention, although he was actually Hugh's great-uncle:
Hugh and Mariana married in the summer of 1939 at Chapel-en-le-Frith.
E.
tbc.