Edward Kenna VC (1919 - 2009)

Ancestors

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 military service 1.2 Victoria Cross 1.3 post war 1.4 Honours and Awards 1.5 Legacy 2 Sources 3 See also

Biography

Private Ted Kenna - australiansatwarfilmarchive

Edward "Ted" Kenna VC was born on 6th July 1919 in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia. He was the fourth of seven children and second son of Bryan Kenna and Emma O'Brien. He attended St Mary's Convent, Hamilton, leaving at fourteen. Ted was a keen sportsman, especially enjoying cycling and Australian Rules football. He worked as a plumber to look after his mother when his father fell ill.

military service

Following the outbreak of the Second World War and the fall of France, and subsequent Dunkirk evacuation, Ted enlisted on 9th August 1940 in the Militia. In December 1941, the Citizens Military Force was called up for full-time service for the duration of the war. In June 1942, Ted transferred to the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF), seeking to serve his country overseas. ^[1] He was allocated initially to the 23rd/31st Infantry Battalion, serving in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The unit was disbanded in 1944 and its members transferred as reinforcements to other units. Ted Kenna was assigned to the 2/4th Infantry Battalion, 19th Brigade, 6th Division ^[2] and embarked for New Guinea in October 1944.

Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

During the Aitape-Wewak Campaign, on 15th May, 1945, during the attack on the Wirui Mission features, Ted's company were given the task of capturing certain enemy positions that were making it impossible to bring artillery into action. As casualties mounted Ted, of his own initiative, stood up in full view of the enemy less than fifty metres away and engaged the bunker, firing his Bren gun from the hip. The enemy machine gun immediately returned Private Kenna's fire and with such accuracy that bullets actually passed between his arms and his body. Undeterred, he remained completely exposed and continued to fire at the enemy until his magazine was exhausted, upon which he discarded his Bren gun and called for a rifle. Despite the intense machine gun fire, he seized the rifle and, with amazing coolness, killed the gunner with his first round. With a second machine gun firing at him, Ted's next round killed another of the enemy trying to move into position behind the machine gun. The result of Ted's magnificent bravery in the face of concentrated fire, was that the bunker was captured without further loss, and the company attack proceeded to a successful conclusion. ^[3]

Three weeks later he was shot in the mouth with an explosive bullet and spent more than a year in hospital. He was demobilised from the AIF on 22nd February and discharged from the Army in December 1946. It has been said that when told he was likely to die, his response was, "Pigs". ^[4] After his discharge from hospital, Kenna returned to Hamilton, Victoria.

post war

In 1947, he married Marjorie Rushberry, ^[5] a nurse who had cared for him at Heidelberg Military Hospital. The people of the Hamilton district raised sufficient funds to build Kenna and his wife a house. The Kennas had two sons and two daughters.

After the war he worked with the local council at the Borough hall and then as curator of the Melville Oval. He played Australian rules football for the local team. He attended many Victoria Cross reunions in London and led the annual ANZAC Day march in Melbourne.

Ted Kenna VC passed away, aged 90 years and two days, on 8th July 2009 at Geelong, and was buried in the Hamilton Lawn Cemetery, Victoria. He was the last-living, Australian, Victoria Cross recipient from the Second World War. At the time the only other Australian recipients of the prestiguous award were Keith Payne, who earned his VC during the Vietnam War, and Mark Donaldson, then the sole recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia for actions in Afghanistan. Ted was survived by Marj, a son and their two daughters, and several grandchildren.

Honours and Awards

Tedd Kenna VC medal set

• Victoria Cross
• 1939-1945 Star
• Pacific Star
• Defence Medal
• War Medal 1939-1945
• Australia Service Medal 1939-1945
• Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
• Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
• Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
• Centenary Medal

Ted's medals were sold at auction in 2011 so that the families of each of his four children could benefit. They brought over $1M. Whilst purchased by an unknown buyer, Australian law demands that the Victoria Cross remains in Australia.^[6]

Legacy

• In July 2000, Ted was featured on a postage stamp as part of an issue commemorating Australia's living Victoria Cross recipients.
• A portrait of Ted by Sir William Dargie hangs in the Borough hall.
• In 2013, a bronze statue of Kenna by sculptor Peter Corlett was unveiled in his hometown of Hamilton, Victoria.^[7]
• the Edward Kenna VC Memorial Park on the Remembrance Drive from Sydney to Cnaberra.

Ted Kenna VC reflecting

Sources

1. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: VX700330 (V55955, VX102142) Private Edward Kenna; accessed 3 Jun 2019
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 3 Jun 2019
3. ↑ London Gazette 4 Sep 1945 Supplement: 37253 Page: 4467; accessed 3 Jun 2019
4. ↑ The Telegraph 8 Jul 2009 Ted Kenna, VC; accessed 3 Jul 2019
5. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #10649/1947
6. ↑ The Australian 29 Jul 2011 Ted Kanna's VC fetches record $1m at auction; accessed 3 Jun 2019
7. ↑ Monument Australia: Edward Kenna VC; accessed 3 Jun 2019

See also

• Australian War Memorial : Private Edward (Ted) Kenna; accessed 3 Jun 2019.
• Wikipedia profile: Edward Kenna; accessed 3 Jun 2019.