Kennedy, William
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | William |
Surname | Kennedy |
Gender | M |
Age | 23 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 17-12-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of John Thomas Kennedy and Sarah Kennedy (née Stephenson), of St. Margaret Street, Scotswood, Newcastle-On-Tyne. Husband of Margaret Ellen Kennedy (née Tollen), of Blakelaw, Newcastle-On-Tyne. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington X |
Serial Number | LP306 |
Markings |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (St. Nicholas) Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Sec. X. Grave 127. |
Epitaph | GOD WILL LINK THE BROKEN CHAIN AS ONE BY ONE WE MEET AGAIN |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 58 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 2212847 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 92 |
Squadron | 17 OTU |
Trade | WOp/AG |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Village Centre, Silverstone, Northamptonshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Village Sign & Inscribed Slate Tablet |
Memorial Text | In memory of No. 17 OTU, Silverstone Airfield. 1943 - 1946 |
Location | Within Motor Racing Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial Stone & Stencilled RoH |
Memorial Text | Per Ardua Ad Astra to those who served No.17 OTU R.A.F. Silverstone. 1943 - 1946 |
Location | Road Bridge over A43, Turweston, Northamptonshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Framed Scroll |
Memorial Text | Remembered with Honour, Bomber Command, 17 OTU, RAF Silverstone and RAF Turweston. 1943 - 1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
Born 29 May 1921 |
Two of his brothers were also lost during the war and all three were lost in a six month period: 1516664 F/Sgt Richard Kennedy (born 22 May 1923), 21, WOp/AG, 620 Squadron, which had by then left Bomber Command to become part of 38 Group, Stirling EF244, killed 19 May 1944 duirng practice manoeuvres for D-Day. At the conclusion of a glider towing exercise, involving a large formation converging on Netheravon, the crew of aircraft EF244 based at RAF Fairford flew back to an area near their station on which the crews were to drop the tow ropes. This aircraft had broken away from the formation but then attempted to rejoin by flying into the dropping area on a different track to that briefed. The crew failed to keep a good lookout and the aircraft flew into another (LJ880) from the same squadron. Both aircraft crashed from about 400 feet after breaking up. All the crew of the 2 aircraft died. Fireman John Robert Kennedy, born 26 March 1925, was lost at sea presumed dead 20 August 1944 when his ship SS Coral was torpedoed and sunk. (At 17.08 hours on 20 Aug 1944 the Coral (Master Donald McKinnon) in convoy ETC-72 was hit and sunk by a Gnat torpedo from U-764 southeast of St. Catherine´s Point, Isle of Wight. Four crew members, one gunner and one army storekeeper were lost. The master, eight crew members and two gunners were picked up by the British merchant Roebuck and a Royal Navy motor launch and landed at Southampton.) John's name is on TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, panel 31. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 17-12-1944 |
End Date | 17-12-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Turweston |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Training |
Reason for Loss | Crashed on over-shooting the runway |