Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Natural causes is attributed those deaths due to causes that were not directly associated with the war. Included in this are wartime deaths resulting from, for example, theSpanish Influenza pandemic and its associated pneumonia problems and other attributions such as age and exhaustion. It also groups those who through Post Traumatic Stress committed suicide as a result of their experiences.

Detail :

De Ruvigny's Volume II Page 190 provides a detailed biography and glowing reference to his life and service:

"KENNEDY, REV. EDMUND JOHN, Vicar of St. John's, Boscombe, Bournemouth and Chaplain (Major) 7th Division, British Expeditionary Force, eldest s. of Edmund James Kennedy, of Belsize Park, N.W., by his wife, Louisa, dau. of George Gascoigne; b. Seymour Street, London W., 17 Aug. 1855; educ. privately by a tutor; ordained 1894; was succesively Curate (1894-96) and Vicar (1896-1901) of St. James', Hatcham, and Vicar of St. John's, Boscombe, from 1901; became Chaplain to the 4th, now 7th Hants Territorials in 1902, and after the outbreak of the European War, was appointed Chaplain to the 7th Division B.E.F. 18 Sept. 1914; served in France; was wounded in Oct. 1914, and invalided home, but returned to France in March 1915, and died at St. John's Vicarage 25 Oct. 1915, from cerebro-spinal meningitis contracted while on service. The Bishop of Winchester wrote: "The tie between the Vicar and myself was close; there was true fellowship between us. He was a man both of character and influence, a sort by himself, and a fine sort. there was a noble zeal about him, righteousness, purity and manliness," and the Bishop of Southampton "I suppose we all feel that we shall not see his like again. He was not like anyone else and in his peculiar gifts and characteristics, it is impossible to suppose that he will have a successor. His personality was a striking witness to the manliness of religion. He was such a man one meets once and once only in a lifetime. None of us who witnessed can forget his funeral; the spectacle of which was one which can have few parallels in the case of a parochial clergyman. It more resembled the solemn pageant which one associates with the obsequies of some outstanding figure in the national life. It was a wonderful witness to the many-sidedness of Mr. Kennedy's influence." For many years before his ordination he was Y.M.C.A. secretary of Exeter Hall. In 1903 he receive the Bronze Medal from the Royal Humane Society for saving life from drowning. He attracted men in a remarkable degree, and owing to his eloquence and directness he was in great request as a preacher and missioner in Britain and other countries. A Window and Tablet were erected to his memory in St. John's Church. He was the auther of "Old Theology Restated" (1907), and an account of his work with the 7th Division was published by Hodder & Stoughton under the title of "With the Immortal Seventh Division," after his death. He was a keen sportsman an accomplished gymnast, and equally proficient as a boxer, mountain climber, skier, yachtsman, etc. Since his death a volume of his sermons entitled "Soul Attitudes" and his biography (written by his widow and a friend) have been published by Hodder & Stoughton. He m. at Waltham Abbey, 9 July, 1880, Edith (12, Carysfoot Road, Boscombe, Hants), 3rd dau. of Arthur John Arrowsmith, of Arabin House, High Beech, Essex, and had a dau., Violet, who m. 28 April, 1909, the Rev. Johhn Francis Alfred Wicksteed, M.A., Vicar of Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells, and has a son and three daughters."

He was injured in France his leg being crushed by his horse when an explosion caused it to rear and fall. He recovered from that and returned to France, completed his tour of duty and fell ill on his return.

He wrote the book "With the Immortal Seventh Division" published in 1916 after his death in 1915. Another book exists about him, written by his wife and a friend, with a preface by the Rev. J. Stuart Holden: "Some records of the life of Edmund John Kennedy : general secretary Y. M. C. A., London, 1884-1894, vicar of St. James', Hatcham, 1896-1900, vicar of St. John's, Boscombe, 1901-1915, chaplain to H. M. forces, 1914-1915".

He conducted the funeral service of Prince Maurice of Battenberg, Queen Victoria's grandson and a Mason of Old Wellingtonian Lodge 3404.

A supplement to the London Gazette, 7th October, 1915 Page 9871 shows that he is not able to perform the duties assigned, and that an inevitability is nigh: - "The Reverend Edmund John Kennedy ceased to perform duty as a temporary Chaplain to the Forces, 4th Class. Dated 18th September, 1915."

His death was reported across the newspapers including the London Standard on October 28th, 1915 but an in-depth article appears in the b>Western Gazette a week later on the 5th November, 1915 detailing his funeral:

"At Boscombe Cemetery...At the Church there was a crowded congregation and many persons were unable to obtain admission...cortege headed by mounted police, followed by an escort of 200 members of the 3/7th Hants Regiment...regimental band of the 4th Hants Regiment...The Freemasons were in strong force, including a large number of members of the "Boscombe" Lodge, of which Mr. Kennedy was a Past Master..."

Probate KENNEDY Edmund John of St. John's Vicarage Boscombe Hampshire clerk died 25 October 1915 Probate London 2 December to George Anthony King one of the masters of the supreme court. Effects £3580 17s. 9d.

A commemorative plaque is located at St. John's Church, Boscombe. "EDMUND JOHN KENNEDY/ VICAR OF THIS PARISH 1901-1915/ CHAPLAIN TO THE SEVENTH/ DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR/ ENTERED INTO GLORY OCT. 25 1915/ A MAN AMONG MEN/ A FAITHFUL EVANGELIST/ A BELOVED PASTOR/ " A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST"/ THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THE/ CONGREGATION AND MANY FRIENDS/ IN LOVING AND SACRED MEMORY."

Masonic :

Past Master of Boscombe Lodge, Past Provincial Grand Chaplain (Hants & IoW)

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley