F/Lt. P. Kelly was born on 4th August 1915, and was educated at Beaumont College, the Jesuit run school at Windsor.
Piers entered the RAF College at Cranwell as a Flight cadet in September 1933. After graduating in July 1935 he joined 4 Squadron at Farnborough, being appointed B Flight. Commander in August 1938.

At the outbreak of the war Kelly was posted to HQ British Air Forces in France and with the end of the German offensive in May 1940 he attached himself to 1 Squadron which had been sent to France to collect some Hurricanes and Fairey Battles.
On returning home, Piers was posted to 7 OTU, Hawarden where he converted to Spitfires and joined 74 at Hornchurch on 15th July 1940.
On 29th July, 1940, he had to fight his way out from overwhelming numbers of fighters. He landed at Manston with a badly damaged aircraft, but was unhurt himself. On inspection of the aircraft, it was seen that the armour plate behind the pilot’s seat had taken the impact of enemy shells, and saved his life.

Piers was posted away from the Tigers to 6 OTU, Sutton Bridge as an instructor on 8th September 1940 where he became OC D Flight.
He was posted again in late January 1941 to 604 ( County of Middlesex) Squadron, a night fighter squadron flying Beaufighters at Middle Wallop, moving across the same airfield to 93 Squadron and its Havoc nightfighters in April 1941. Then followed a move to the recently reformed 125 Squadron at Fairwood Common in November 1941 for more night-fighting operations on Defiants.
Kelly was given command of 255 Squadron operating Beaufighters at Coltishall in December 1941.

In late March 1943 he was posted to Headquarters North Africa to take command of night operations and awarded the DFC on 21st May 1943. He returned to the UK in January 1944.

Piers retired from the RAF on 7th October 1961 as a Group Captain, and went on to work for Western Union in Paris before returning to the UK in 1968.

Piers Kelly died on 11th February 1987, survived by his wife, Pamela, and their two children.