William Kennedy (Royal Navy officer)

Sir William Kennedy
Born	4 March 1838 Naples, Italy
Died	9 October 1916 Daventry, Northamptonshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1851–1901
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	East Indies Station Nore Command HMS Druid
Battles/wars	Crimean War Second Opium War
Awards	Knight 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 went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

Biography

Born in Naples, Italy 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]

Kennedy married Edith Louisa Stopford in Daventry in 1868; they had one daughter Alice Emily Kennedy.^[3] He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies in 1892 and Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1900.^[3] He was promoted to Admiral in August 1901^[4] and retired in November 1901.^[5]

He was also an accomplished author who wrote an extensive autobiography and other books.^[6]

His brothers included Sir John Gordon Kennedy KCMG (1836–1912), who became an eminent diplomat,^[7] and Gilbert George Kennedy (1844–1909) who played for the Scottish XI in the second international football match against England.^[8]

22 June 1897 - To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria Vice-Admiral William Robert Kennedy is appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.^[9]
19 June 1911 - On the occasion of the Coronation of King George V, Admiral Sir William Robert Kennedy, KCB, is promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.^[10]

Kennedy, Sir William, Hurrah for the life of a sailor! - Fifty Years in the Royal Navy, Kessinger Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1436878692
Kennedy, Sir William, Sport, Travel, and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies, BiblioBazaar, 2010, ISBN 978-1142886301
Kennedy, Sir William, Sporting Adventures in the Pacific: Whilst in Command of the Reindeer, BiblioBazaar, 2010, ISBN 978-1142180324
Kennedy, Sir William, Sporting Sketches in South America, Kessinger Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1437104486

^ "Death Of Admiral Sir W. R. Kennedy. Seaman And Author." (Obituaries). The Times (London). Tuesday, 10 October 1916. Issue 41294, col C, p. 11.
^ ^a ^b Autobiography of Vice-Admiral Sir William Kennedy
^ ^a ^b The Peerage.com
^ London Gazette: no. 27344. p. 5258. 9 August 1901. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ London Gazette: no. 27372. p. 7146. 5 November 1901. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ Admiral Sir W.R. Kennedy, English Naval Veteran and Author Dies in His Seventy-ninth Year New York Times, 10 October 1916
^ "Sir John Gordon Kennedy". www.thepeerage.com. 29 August 2006. http://thepeerage.com/p2097.htm#i20969. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
^ Mitchell, Andy (2011). Arthur Kinnaird: First Lord of Football. Andy Mitchell. p. 49. ISBN 1463621116.
^ London Gazette: no. 26947. p. 1682. 14 March 1898. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28505. p. 4588. 19 June 1911. Retrieved 7 August 2010.

Military offices
Preceded by Frederick Robinson	Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station 1892–1895	Succeeded by Edmund Drummond
Preceded by Sir Nathaniel Bowden-Smith	Commander-in-Chief, The Nore 1900–1901	Succeeded by Sir Albert Markham

Persondata
Name	Kennedy, William
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 March 1838
Place of birth	Naples, Italy
Date of death	9 October 1916
Place of death	Daventry, Northamptonshire, England