171 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca KENNEDY, Lionel WWII Lionel was born in Russell, MB on February 17, 1920, the son of a MasseyHarris area sales manager, Elmer Kennedy, and his wife, Edith McNichol Kennedy. Lionel’s childhood was spent in Russell and Yorkton, SK until 1937 when the family moved toWinnipeg. Lionel completed high school at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, then enrolled in Manitoba Commercial College. Soon after World War II was declared, he left his studies and enlisted in the RCNVR on September 22, 1939 at HMCS Chippawain Winnipeg. He was given the rank of Ordinary Telegraphist on joining because he had obtained an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate when he was seventeen. After shore training from October through December 1939 at HMCS Stadacona in Halifax, Lionel served for nine months as a telegraphist on the examination vessel HMCS Andree Dupre(Z03/W03) in Halifax harbour along with his best friend, Leonard Bate. In November 1940, he and Leonard completed a Leading Telegraphists course at Signals School at Stadacona before being assigned to different corvettes. Leonard was assigned to the ill-fated HMCS Spikenard(K198) that was sunk in February 1942, taking Leonard and most of its crew down with it. Lionel was assigned to the corvette HMS Hepatica(K159) that had been built for the Royal Navy in Quebec and made its maiden voyage to Greenock, Scotland, departing on December 18, 1940 on Convoy HX97. While the ship was undergoing refit in Greenock, in mid-February 1941, Lionel was temporarily assigned to the Clydebank-built Australian destroyer HMAS Nizam. After commissioning, the Nizamwas to undergo work up with the ships of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow with Lionel aboard as one of the telegraphists, no doubt to give him more work experience at sea. On March 1, 1941, back in Greenock, Lionel was appointed Acting Leading Telegraphist. For the next ten days out of the Royal Navy’s ‘working up’ establishment in Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Lionel and the Hepatica crew took part in the ship’s training exercises, including four days of exercises with a submarine. The Hepaticawas commissioned into the RCN and joined Escort Group 4, serving briefly as a UK-Iceland escort until June before being assigned to Newfoundland Escort Force for the rest of 1941 escorting convoys between Iceland and St. John’s. Beginning in January 1942, the Hepatica served on the Newfie-Derry run for the next three months escorting ships from St. John’s to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Lionel must have shown promise as officer material during that period, for in July 1942, he began officer training at HMCS Kings, graduating in mid-November 1942 as a Sub-Lieutenant. He was then assigned to the Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS Stratford (J310) for coastal escort duty between Sydney and St. John’s from November 27, 1942 until May 4, 1943, during which time he earned his Watchkeeping Certificate. Lionel was next posted to the stone frigate HMCS Niobein Greenock, Scotland on July 29, 1943 to take an HF/DF course and serve on Captain (D) Greenock’s staff until mid-December 1943 when he returned to Canada. In January 1944, he was assigned to the staff of the Deputy Superintendent at HMCS Stadacona in Halifax to set up a calibration base for HF/DF. The day after he began, on January 15, 1944, he was promoted to Lieutenant. When his HF/DF assignment was complete, on May 15, 1944, Lionel was transferred to the shore based HMCS Avalonin St. John’s to serve on the staff of Captain (D) Newfoundland and work on HMCS Seretha II, an auxiliary ship used in HF/DF calibrations. Lionel was transferred to Naval Headquarters in Ottawa on June 10, 1944, to serve on the staff of the Director of Signals Division, Captain George A.Worth, OBE, with whom he worked until the war ended. Lionel then returned to Winnipeg and on May 28, 1945, he was honourably discharged from the RCNVR at HMCS Chippawa, the naval reserve division where he had enlisted in 1939. (continued)
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