John Kennedy (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir John Kennedy GBE
CB
CMG
DSO
(1878-1948) was a British Army
officer who commanded 1st Infantry Division.
, Kennedy was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
in 1898. He served with the Egyptian Army
until World War I
when he fought on the Western Front
: he became Commanding Officer of 7th Bn Seaforth Highlanders
in 1916 and Commander of 26th (Highland) Brigade in 1917. He was appointed Inspector of Infantry in 1918, Instructor at the Senior Officers School in 1919 and Commanding Officer of 2nd Bn The Buffs in 1923. He went on to be Commander of 19th Indian Infantry Brigade
in 1926, General Officer Commanding
44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1932 and General Officer Commanding 1st Infantry Division in 1934 before retiring in 1937.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(1878-1948) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who commanded 1st Infantry Division.
Military career
Educated at HaileyburyHaileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
, Kennedy was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
in 1898. He served with the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when he fought on the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
: he became Commanding Officer of 7th Bn Seaforth Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders
The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War...
in 1916 and Commander of 26th (Highland) Brigade in 1917. He was appointed Inspector of Infantry in 1918, Instructor at the Senior Officers School in 1919 and Commanding Officer of 2nd Bn The Buffs in 1923. He went on to be Commander of 19th Indian Infantry Brigade
19th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 19th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Old Delhi in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. In August 1941, they took part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran...
in 1926, General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in 1932 and General Officer Commanding 1st Infantry Division in 1934 before retiring in 1937.