KENNEDY, Robert
| Service Number: | 639 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 August 1914, An original of F Company |
| Last Rank: | Company Sergeant Major |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Strand, Middlesex, England, 10 August 1885 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozieres, France, 22 July 1916, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval Plot 7, Row D, Grave 15 (remains discovered 1937), London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 639, 2nd Infantry Battalion, An original of F Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 639, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 639, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 1 Apr 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 Aug 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Company Sergeant Major, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 22 Jul 1916: | Involvement 639, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 639 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Company Sergeant Major awm_died_date: 1916-07-22 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Robert Kennedy was born in London in 1885 and his parents were Hugh and Matilda Kennedy of London. His mother had died when he was 17 years of age. His sister Cecilia filled out the roll of honour form. He joined the British Army not long after his mother’s death and Cecilia stated he had served for 12 years in India and Egypt with the 1st Yorkshire Regiment. He had only arrived in Australia from Canada about in 1914.
He enlisted very early in the AIF, August 1914, and was an original member of the 2nd Battalion. He was slightly wounded at the landing on Anzac Cove and no doubt due to his previous service was quickly promoted to Company Sergeant Major. He has a large Red Cross file with a many men stating he was killed instantly by a shell burst on 25 July 1916 and buried immediately very near to Pozieres village. His grave was then lost.
His older brother, G/19115 Serjeant Walter George Kennedy, 8th Bn. Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) was killed in action 23 March 1918.
During 1938 his remains were found close to Pozieres and reinterred in the London Cemetery and Extension in France. His identity disc was recovered and returned to Australia and a photograph of it exists in his service file. No contact could be made with his sister Cecilia, and presumably the disc still exists in the records somewhere.
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