The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. R W Kennedy

Ronald William Kennedy, of East Dulwich, London was born on 24th July 1915, the son of William Henry and Beatrice Kennedy.

He was working as an advertising clerk when he joined 604 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force before the war as an Aircrafthand.

Called up on 24th August 1939, he remustered as an Airman u/t Air Gunner and trained with the squadron.

He served with 604 Squadron throughout the Battle of Britain and, after the introduction of Beaufighters equipped with AI radar, he retrained as a Radio Observer.

He married Olive Margaret Thorpe in late 1940 in Camberwell.

In May 1941 Kennedy was posted to 109 Squadron. This unit was formed from the Wireless Intelligence Unit at Boscombe Down and was concerned with the development of radio countermeasures and new radar aids.

Commissioned in October 1943, Kennedy was killed on 26th March 1944 as a Pilot Officer with 192 Special Duties Squadron.

Halifax III LW626 DT-V was airborne from Foulsham tasked with electronic countermeasures supporting a raid on Essen. At 2127 it transmitted a SOS. The signal strength was very weak and it is believed the Halifax had ditched in the North Sea some 60 miles off Cromer. Five bodies were recovered the next day, Cox remains missing and Cumberland and Kennedy were washed up on the Dutch coast.

Full crew:

P/O PG Melville RAAF KIA
Sgt AJ Rogers KIA
Sgt BF Welch KIA
F/O HG Gray RNZAF KIA
Sgt G Wilson KIA
Sgt TH Cox MIA
Sgt WJE Cumberland KIA

Kennedy was 29 and is buried in the Wierhuizen Protestant Cemetery, Eenrum, Netherlands.

Above image courtesy of www.basher82.nl.