Joseph Kennedy
Joseph, known as Joe, was 30 years old when he left his wife Margaret and three children, John (Jack), Norah and Edna to join up when war broke out in September 1914. He served throughout the war as a driver (horses) in the Army Service Corps and rose to the rank of Sergeant by the war’s end. His unit acted as the Divisional Train for the 36th Ulster Division. The horse shown on the slide is a draught animal and this is consistent with Joe serving in the Army Service Corps.
The Corps was a natural choice for Joe as for most of his early life he had worked with horses delivering bread and milk, before ending up as a horse drawn tram driver. By the time the 1911 census had come round, the trams he was driving had lost their horses and were electric motor driven.
A Family Man.
Joe was the second eldest son of Joseph Kennedy and Jenny Whan. The 1901 census shows him living aged 16 with his recently widowed mother Jenny, four sisters Margaret, Isabella, Elizabeth and Sarah; his two brothers Robert James and John George; Margaret’s husband Thomas McKee and his nephew Joseph at 73 York Road. His elder brother William had left home by this time.
In April 1904 Joe married Margaret (Maggie) Steel who lived a few doors up from him, and by 1911 they were living at St Vincent Street along with their three children. When Joe joined the army in 1914, his son John was 9 years old, Norah was 7 years old and Edna was 2 years old.
Postcards.
As the war progressed Joe sent many letters and post cards home. Edna was the recipient of many of the post cards and on one card Joe writes “A few more for your collection. I think if I remember right this takes you to over 200”.
The Army put on many activities to entertain the troops when they were not in action. At the end of August 1918, X Corps, to which the 36th Division was attached at the time, put on a horse show and Joe won first prize as “Best Mounted NCO & Wagon with Pair of HD Horses”.
It was shortly after this, when he was home on leave, that Joe bought 4 Rokeby Villas, opposite where Seaview Church is today, and moved his family there. He had to have his leave extended as, while he was there, they all came down with the ‘flu. By the time the family were fit again, the war was over, but Joe had to return to France, and it was quite a while before he was finally able to return home.
In all Joe was awarded four medals. As well as the 1914-1915 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal, he also received the Meritorious Service Medal for his contribution to the war effort.
When Joe eventually returned home after discharge, he re-joined the Belfast Corporation Transport Department, and served with them for the next thirty years, first as a tram driver and then as an Inspector. His family increased in size with the birth of a fourth child, Margaret in May 1923.
When Joe passed away in November 1957 he was survived by his wife Maggie, son and daughter in law Jack and May, daughters Norah, Edna, Margaret and her husband Bertie and a total of five grandchildren.
Joe was not the only member of Joseph and Jenny Kennedy’s family to serve in the Great War. On the Castleton Roll of Honour are two men, Robert James Kennedy and John George Kennedy who are thought to be the brothers of Joe Kennedy. Unfortunately at this time no further information is available to confirm this or to identify which of the other slides are them.
Thank you to Joe’s grandson Robert Neill for the information and photographs.