Thomas Russell Kennedy

KENNEDY, Thomas Russell- – – – SPC 1910

DoB:– – c1897, Carlton

Father:– – Thomas M Kennedy

Mother:

Service No:- 1594

Rank:- – Private

Unit:– – 1st Aust Divisional Supply Column

Thomas Russell Kennedy enlisted on 4 June 1915 at the age of 18 years and five months. He was five feet, seven inches tall, with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was employed as a clerk.

He embarked for active service overseas on 9 November 1915 at Melbourne, aboard the Bakara, disembarking at Suez, Egypt on 7 December 1915. After further training, he proceeded to Marseilles and was transferred to the 1st Australian Divisional Supply Column on 20 July 1916.

For the next few years, Private Kennedy saw service in France, with fairly regular instances of leave taken in the UK. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 31 December 1918, and soon after was made Corporal. In October 1919 Corporal Kennedy married Clara Ellen West at Brentford, Middlesex. They were afforded a one week honeymoon, before Thomas was attached for duty again on 22 October with the AIF Headquarters in London.

On 24 January 1920 he returned to Australia aboard the Osterley, disembarking at Melbourne on 5 March 1920. He was discharged from the AIF in September 1920 as medically unfit, as he was suffering from tuberculosis.

The College has been unable to trace the movements of Thomas Russell Kennedy after he returned to Australia. An annotation in his war record shows that he lived in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. He died on 24 October 1953, aged 56 years.