James Kennedy, Remount Unit (Army)

[MargoH]

James Kennedy was born 1873 and was thus about 40 at the start of WW1. He had emigrated to Canada in about 1907. I have 3 sources of information about his participation in the War.

1 - He returned to Scotland when war broke out and joined the army.

2 - He served in the Remount Unit.

3 - He served in Gallipoli and Egypt, 1915-1919.

After the War he returned to Canada, where he died in 1940.

This is unfortunately is all that is ever likely to be known about his involvement in the War. My question is, since he survived the War, what sources are available to me, based on this scant information?

Many thanks for any pointers; I'm not new to family history research in the UK but I am new to military research.

[apwright]

Was he from Dundee, married to Mary Misset and have an adopted son called Arthur?

Adrian

[jay dubaya]

Hi Aly's mum, welcome to the forum

There are 2 James Kennedys' listed on the medal cards at Kew that have a R4 prefix to their service numbers with the Army Service Corps. Would I be right in thining that this prefix is for part of the 4th New Army Remounts.

There is a little information on the Remounts of the ASC here on the mother site, good luck,

cheers, Jon

[apwright]

Would I be right in thining that this prefix is for part of the 4th New Army Remounts.

That's right, Jon (caveat emptor: as far as I understand it )

That was the reason for my question above. One of these two, R4/063156 Private James Kennedy, has a few pages in the Ancestry "pension" records.

Attested 11/3/15 age 41 yrs 358 days (makes his DOB about 18 March 1873, if my maths is correct)

Address: 25 Rosefield St, Dundee, wife Mary MISSET or KENNEDY (married 9/10/1899), child Arthur Reid (adopted, 15/3/1912).

Service record:

Home 11/3/15 to 1/4/15

Egypt 2/4/15 to 17/12/15

Home 18/12/15 to 20[?]/4/16

Discharged 20[?]/4/16 as being no longer physically fit for war service.

Now, Ancestry says that 5 pages belong to him. But the 3rd page is a letter from the Central Army Pension Issue Office to the Royal Hospital Chelsea stating that James Kennedy, ASC, admitted on 18/5/16, died on 8/4/17. However, this could easily be a different James Kennedy - there's no service number or personal details that definitely link this man to R4/063156. And the last 2 pages of the 5 are for a different man altogether.

Adrian

[MargoH]

That's right, Jon (caveat emptor: as far as I understand it )

That was the reason for my question above. One of these two, R4/063156 Private James Kennedy, has a few pages in the Ancestry "pension" records.

Attested 11/3/15 age 41 yrs 358 days (makes his DOB about 18 March 1873, if my maths is correct)

Address: 25 Rosefield St, Dundee, wife Mary MISSET or KENNEDY (married 9/10/1899), child Arthur Reid (adopted, 15/3/1912).

Service record:

Home 11/3/15 to 1/4/15

Egypt 2/4/15 to 17/12/15

Home 18/12/15 to 20[?]/4/16

Discharged 20[?]/4/16 as being no longer physically fit for war service.

Now, Ancestry says that 5 pages belong to him. But the 3rd page is a letter from the Central Army Pension Issue Office to the Royal Hospital Chelsea stating that James Kennedy, ASC, admitted on 18/5/16, died on 8/4/17. However, this could easily be a different James Kennedy - there's no service number or personal details that definitely link this man to R4/063156. And the last 2 pages of the 5 are for a different man altogether.

Adrian

The Kennedy family were from Dumfriesshire and I believed him to have been single - but you just never know! I will try to check out the link with Mary Misset.

Thanks to both Jon and Adrian for the other details, I'll see if I can make anything of them.

[MargoH]

I've now seen the marriage cert referred to (Kennedy-Misset) but he is not my man - nothing fits apart from his name (wrong parents, for a start).

Now, Adrian, if you are reading this, you said there were 2 James Kennedys with the prefix R4. Can you enlighten me as to what little info there was about him? If I have his full number, what else (if anything!) can I find out about him?

Thanks.

The Kennedy family were from Dumfriesshire and I believed him to have been single - but you just never know! I will try to check out the link with Mary Misset.

Thanks to both Jon and Adrian for the other details, I'll see if I can make anything of them.