KENNEDY, Reginald
| Service Number: | 3056 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Magill, South Australia, 17 November 1897 |
| Home Town: | Magill, Campbelltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Magill Public School & Norwood High School |
| Occupation: | Messenger |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, Belgium, 28 September 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide Officers of S.A. Post, Telegraph and Telephone Department Great War Roll of Honor, Adelaide Postmaster General's Department WWI Honour Board , Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Magill Honour Board, Magill War Memorial, Norwood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3056, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3056, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 28 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3056, 50th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3056 awm_unit: 50 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-09-28 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
His Duty Nobly Done
“His Duty Nobly Done”
These are the words of a grieving father, who had just been informed of the death of his youngest son, Reginald Kennedy, who was on active duty in Belgium. This was the same grieving father, who in the last eight month had buried his wife, also his daughter in law. And in another month would receive news of the death of his second son, Sydney Clarence Kennedy, who was also on active duty, in France.
Simon Kennedy and his wife Amelia nee Williams had been the proud parents of four boys. Amelia died on Christmas Day 1916. Daughter in law Hilda Jessie Kennedy nee Carless died in October 1917, she was 22 years of age. She was the wife of Sydney and the mother of Francis Joseph Kennedy. The Army records for both Reginald and Sydney show their home address as Brougham Street Magill.
Reginald Kennedy was born on 17th November 1897 at Magill. He was educated at the Magill public School and also Norwood High School, and was employed as a telegraph messenger at Payneham. He was a member of the 10th reinforcements of the 10th Battalion, mainly from South Australia.
His Battalion sailed from Adelaide on 14th September 1915 on the HMAT Ballarat A70. His Majesties Australian Transports were ships leased by the Government to transport troops and carry exports to Britain and France. Most were British Merchant ships some were captured German merchant ships. After the retreat from Gallipoli, the 10th Battalion regrouped in Egypt, and became part of the 50th Battalion, before being sent to the Western Front.5 Reginald was injured and hospitalised on 16/8/1916.
He returned to the front after recovering from his injuries. He was again hospitalised with “trench foot” and died of his injuries on 26/9/1917.6 He is buried in Belgium at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Plot 24, Row D, and Grave 20. In 1919 his father, Simon, planted two trees in the Methodist Church at Magill, in honour of his two sons. In all ten trees were planted on that day, to commemorate ten lives lost from that congregation alone.
Researched and compiled by The Campbelltown Library “Digital Diggers” group.
Sources:
The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Tuesday 23 October 1917, p 4
The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Tuesday 26 December 1916, p 6
Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954) Saturday 4 September 1915, p 31
The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Friday 12 October 1917, p 5 https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51450/
Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954) Saturday 20 October 1917, p 38
Australian Christian Commonwealth (SA : 1901 - 1940) Friday 15 August 1919, p15
http://www.raamc.org.au/web/11fda/index.php?History
Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954) Saturday 5 October 1918, p 12
Submitted 15 September 2016 by Campbelltown Library Volunteers (Digital Diggers)
Biography
Reginald's older brother 12808 Pte. Sidney Clarence Kennedy (/explore/people/234921) was killed in action in Belgium one week later on 04 Oct 1917.
"Mr. S. Kennedy, of Brougham street, Magill, has been officially notified that his third son, Pte. Sidney C. Kennedy, was killed in action on October 4. The deceased enlisted in May, 1916, and left Australia in the following July with the 11th Field Ambulance. He was educated at Magill Public School, and afterwards employed as telegraph messenger at Magill, whence he was trensferred to the mail department at the G.P.O., and later was letter carrier at St. Peters. He lad a large circle of friends, and was highly respected. A brother, Pte. Reg. Kennedy, died of wounds last September." - from the Adelaide Register 29 Oct 1917 (nla.gov.au)
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