KENNEDY, William Murray Stewart
| Service Number: | 314 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914, An original of C Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 September 1891 |
| Home Town: | Guildford, Swan, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mason |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 30 May 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Bethune, Nord Pas de Calais Plot I, Row H, Grave No. 24 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Guildford St. Matthew's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Guildford St. Matthew's Anglican Church Men Who Laid Down Their Lives Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 314, 11th Infantry Battalion, An original of C Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement Private, 314, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked Private, 314, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
It seems that Kennedy was born in Melbourne and raised in Scotland. His mother stated on his roll of honour form that he returned to Australia during 1912. His father was a sculptor and had passed away in Scotland in 1911. William was a mason, and was working on the Guildford Grammar School Chapel in Western Australia when he enlisted.
Kennedy was one the early recruits for the 11th Battalion. He served at the Anzac Landing and was wounded in the upper arm a week later. He was evacuated to Egypt and returned to Gallipoli during July 1915. He was evacuated a second time during late August 1915, suffering from dysentery, and was eventually evacuated to England for treatment. He returned to Egypt during March 1916.
Not long after arriving in France, on 30 May 1916, four days before it was relieved from front-line duty, the 11th Battalion came under a fierce German artillery bombardment. Two officers and 36 other ranks were killed in an incessant hail of high explosive and shrapnel fire. Over 100 meteres of frontline parapet was completely destroyed. Those who died were all killed near la Cordonnerie Farm. Charles Bean, the Australian WW1 historian wrote “The great bombs dug huge craters in the soft agricultural soil and the flimsy breastworks [of the trenches] and shelters were flung up into the air in shredded and splintered fragments.”
William’s brother also enlisted and served with the 11th Battalion at Gallipoli. 1081 Private Andrew Riddell Kennedy 11th Battalion AIF, survived for three years until he was killed in action 28 April 1918, aged 24.
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