"Red" Kelly was a fictional roguish teenager who lived in the East End of London. He was a friend of James Bond and the elder brother of Kelly Kelly. The character served as an ally in Charlie Higson's 2005 Young Bond novel, SilverFin, and subsequently appeared in his 2007 book, Double or Die.
Novel biography[]
Early Life[]
In 1917, "Red" Kelly was born in the East End of London into a poor family of dock workers.[1] There, he shared a crowded house with at least six siblings and numerous extended family members. The Kelly family originated in Ireland, and built the railroad down into London, following the work, and not earning a healthy reputation with authority. Red never left his impoverished hometown, except for when his family went down to Kent to pick hops. He gained his name on account of his untidy head of red hair and its similarity to "Ned Kelly", an Australian outlaw. Like his namesake, Red was no stranger to illicit activity.
SilverFin[]
In early 1933[1], his Scottish cousin Alfie Kelly mysteriously disappeared whilst fishing in Lough SilverFin. A close-knit family, Red took it on himself to travel Keithly to investigate - stowing away on a train with the assistance of James Bond. Bond allowed Red to share his compartment and, in turn, he rescued Bond from a beating at the hands of Etonian bully, George Hellebore. The two went their separate ways at Fort William and Kelly took a bus to his aunt, Annie Kelly. By coincidence, the pair unexpectedly reunited at a circus in Kiethley and Red once again helped James fend off the vengeful George Hellebore; this time fighting off a pair hired thugs. The next day, suspicious of Randolph Hellebore's activities, they hiked across open countryside to the Hellebores' castle at Lough SilverFin.
After some time walking, the disgruntled Red was ready to give up. They briefly met a local equestrian named Wilder Lawless and Red was immediately smitten with her; improving his mood during the trek ahead. When they reached Hellebore's land, the pair found evidence of Alfie's expedition and were discovered by Meatpacker Moran: a detective from Pinkerton's who was also investigating the Laird's activities. They observed the castle before having to return home. After some time and investigation, they discovered that Meatpacker had been killed, and they decided to infiltrate the castle using Red's burglary skills. Stealthily hitching a ride in the back of a lorry, they were taken into the compound and set up camp in an abandoned stone cellar. In the dead of night, they attempted to climb a sickly tree across the moat and into an open window. Unfortunately, Red's fear of heights and inexperience with trees led him to fall to the ground and break his ankle. Despite this, he pushed for James to continue on alone.
Red hobbled back to the cellar, and splinted his leg while formulating a plan for their escape. After a long time, James returned - having been captured and subjected to experiments by Hellebore's eugenicist scientists. Destroying several of Hellebore's vehicles, they decided to steal one of the lorries and smash their way out of the compound. Unfortunately, they were followed, and had to abandon their transport at a farm where the injured Red hid. He later emerged and made his way toward Keithly, where he was discovered by Wilder Lawless; who subsequently rescued James from Lord Hellebore and helped him to destroy the villain's serum laboratory (alongside the remorseful George Hellebore). He also informed James' aunt Charmian, who rescued the severely injured and unconscious boy. When James recovered, he and Red attended a small memorial service for his recently-deceased uncle Max in the local church. Red reflected on the odd nature of their friendship, and they acknowledged that they would likely never see one another again. Wilder rode in to say goodbye, and left them both with a quick kiss, which finally put Red at a loss for words.
Double or Die[]
On 17th December 1933[1], after hearing his little sister Kelly Kelly and her gang threatening someone in an alley, Red went out to see that the sickly James Bond was the object of their torment. After learning that James was searching for a missing Eton schoolmaster and his computing invention, the Kellys helped him to identify the location of the ship it was being transported on. Learning that the vessel was due to set sail in just over an hour, Red guided James to a disused Pneumatic Rail System under the streets of London. The local gangs had repaired and converted it to electric power for use in smuggling. Using the speedy system, James travelled with Red's sister to the Royal Docks where the ship was moored.
Red was later contacted by Perry Mandeville, and the two gathered a small army of dock-workers and gang-members to come to Bond's aid. James had rescued the teacher, but was now surrounded by the Soviet operatives who had kidnapped him. With Red's help, they fought off the Russian sailors on the wharf. He and three relatives joined James in boarding the ship to destroy the code-breaking machine aboard. With the assistance of the mortally-wounded John Charnage, Red overloaded the ship's boilers - creating an explosion that destroyed the Amoras and its cargo. While they were on-board the ship, Colonel Irina Sedova had abducted the teacher and Mandeville - fleeing into the pneumatic rail tunnels. Searching them, Kelly and Red took a different path from Bond; planning on cutting off Sedova's escape by activating one of the railway's fans. They subsequently returned to help him; finding James badly injured in an old engine room.
Trivia[]
- Red helpfully hollowed out the sole of one of James' shoes; forming a secret compartment for his folding knife.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 See Young Bond timeline.