Fighting for the Empire is the story of a remarkable Irishman, a staunch Catholic from Galway who served the British Crown and its Empire for almost fifty years. His extraordinary military career took in countless conflicts including two World Wars, Imperial adventures, acts of heroism and encounters with royalty. It also included a period of Irish history that split families and communities in two.

Joining the Indian Medical Service in 1896 Thomas Kelly was posted to the turbulent North West Frontier almost as soon as he arrived in India. He was one of the first Westerners to set...