William Kennedy (Royal Navy officer)

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Sir William Kennedy
Born4 March 1838
Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Died9 October 1916 (1916-10-10) (aged 78)
Daventry, Northamptonshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1851–1901
RankAdmiral
Commands heldEast Indies Station
Nore Command
Battles/warsCrimean War
Second Opium War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir William Robert Kennedy GCB (4 March 1838 – 9 October 1916) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

Biography

Born in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies where his father John Kennedy was the British chargé d'affaires,[1] Kennedy joined the Royal Navy in 1851 and served with the Naval Brigade during the Crimean War.[2] He was present at the bombardment of Canton in 1856, at the Battle of Fatshan Creek in 1857 and at the attack on the Peiho Forts in 1858 during the Second Opium War.[2]

As a lieutenant he next was appointed to the sloop Wasp and on the journey to Cape of Good Hope he jumped overboard to rescue a man that had fallen in; he was awarded a silver medal by the Royal Humane Society.[1] He later sailed on the Narcissus and Victoria, the Mediterranean flagship.[1]

Promoted to commander in 1867, he commanded the Vestal on the North American station and then the Reindeer in the Pacific. From 1879 to 1881 he commanded the Druid and was senior officer on the Newfoundland coast.[1] He then commanded a coast-guard ship at Queensferry and then on to the Ruby as senior officer on the south-east coast of South America.[1] In 1889 he was promoted to rear-admiral and from 1892 to 1895 and was Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies.[1] Promoted to vice-admiral in 1896 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1900.[1] He was promoted to Admiral 16 June 1901[3] and retired in November 1901.[4] He was also an accomplished author who wrote an extensive autobiography and other books.[5]

Family life

Kennedy married Edith Louisa Stopford in Daventry in 1868; they had one daughter Alice Emily Kennedy. His brothers included Sir John Gordon Kennedy KCMG, who became an eminent diplomat, and Gilbert George Kennedy who played for the Scottish XI in the second international football match against England.[6]

Honours and awards

Works

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Death of Admiral Sir W. R. Kennedy. Seaman And Author". Obituaries. The Times. No. 41294. London. 10 October 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Autobiography of Vice-Admiral Sir William Kennedy
  3. ^ "No. 27344". The London Gazette. 9 August 1901. p. 5258.
  4. ^ "No. 27372". The London Gazette. 5 November 1901. p. 7146.
  5. ^ "Admiral Sir W. R. Kennedy; English Naval Veteran and Author Dies in His Seventy-ninth Year". The New York Times. London. 10 October 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Andy (2011). Arthur Kinnaird: First Lord of Football. Andy Mitchell. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4636-2111-7.
  7. ^ "No. 26947". The London Gazette. 14 March 1898. p. 1682.
  8. ^ "No. 28505". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 June 1911. p. 4588.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
1892–1895 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
1900–1901 		Succeeded by
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