She was the first woman in the country to be promoted to the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent.
She enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) on 6 June 1940 and was discharged with the rank of Sergeant on 17 January 1946.
The two officers persuaded their Divisional Detective Inspector to allow them to serve on all cases instead of the limited range of cases (mainly involving women and children) to which women detectives had previously been restricted.
By 1972 Kelley had reached the rank of Chief Superintendent and was serving in the Murder Squad at Scotland Yard.
Kelley was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1973 New Year Honours.