KENNEDY, Charles
(Service number 2/1929)
| First Rank | Gunner | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 19 November 1878 | Place of Birth | Ireland |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 18 April 1915 | Age | 36 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Pukeuri | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | North Otaho Mounted Rifles - 7 years | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | James KENNEDY (brother), Pukeuri, Oamaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 5th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | New Zealand Field Artillery | ||
| Date | |||
| Transport | Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 19 June 1929 | Age | 50 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Public Hospital, Oamaru | ||
| Cause | Pulmonary haemorrhage - 3 hours; pulmonary tuberculosis - 2 years | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Morven Catholic Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | Glenavy and District Roll of Honour (served) | ||
Biographical Notes
Charles Kennedy was born on 19 November 1878 in Ireland, the son of James and Anne (née McAlister) Kennedy. Charles’ parents, several brothers and a sister came to new Zealand and settled in the Morven district. Charles was a labourer at Glenavy both before and after the war, while his brothers James and Bernard farmed, James at Glenavy and later at Pukeuri, Bernard at Morven and later at Temuka. Both parents died early on 1908, of Morven.
Charles named his brother James as next-of-kin when he enlisted on 18 April 1915 at Trentham, and also gave Pukeuri as his own address. “A highly popular resident of Glenavy,” Mr Charles Kennedy was farewelled at the Glenavy Hotel in mid April 1915. The chairman “spoke in high praise of the many excellent characteristics of the departing guest.” A handsome wristlet watch and a purse of sovereigns were presented to Charles.
Gunner C. Kennedy embarked with the New Zealand Field Artillery of the 5thy Reinforcements. Private Charles Kennedy, of Pukeuri, returned to New Zealand by Draft156 which was due in April/May 1918. Charles Kennedy, of Glenavy, arrived in Waimate by the express from the north in mid May.
Charles Kennedy died on 19 June 1929 at the Oamaru Public Hospital. He was buried with his parents in the Morven Catholic Cemetery. Private Charles Kennedy, 5th Reinforcements, is named on the Glenavy Honours List of Soldiers who saw active service in the Great War 1914-1918.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [07 June 2021]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [07 June 2021]; Oamaru Mail, 19 April 1915, Evening Star, 16 April 1918, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 11 May 1918 (Papers Past) [07 April 2015]
External Links
Related Documents
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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