Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John (Jock) was born in the town of Cumbria, which borders Scotland. It was known as a military city, having its own County Regiment. Born on the 26th August, 1900, Jock was a young enlistee in The War to End All Wars, serving with the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders and eventually amassing twelve years’ service to his credit. Jock later shared that he had been hit by a piece of shrapnel in his left leg during that war. He moved to Adelaide to live, joining the Militia in May ’30 with the 4/4th Division Supply Company as 303703, where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He worked as a Motor driver, certainly a skill that was appreciated by the army.
He carried this experience and maturity with him when WWII was declared. Jock again enlisted to serve with the Australian troops early in July ’40 as a 39-year-old. Initially he nominated his married sister, Margaret, who had remained back in England, as his next of kin.
As with all the young new enlistees, Jock’s early days were also spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. He was given the number SX7842 and allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion where he proved to be a valued voice of experience and reassurance for many. His enlistment papers indicate he received at least two gunshot wounds during WWI.
Jock quickly earned promotions to Acting Corporal and then Acting Lance Sergeant in October. He and other new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training before enjoying a few days pre-embarkation leave. In that time, Jock married Elizabeth Little the day before he embarked on the 6th November 1940. Soon after, the men were aboard the Stratheden sailing for the Middle East. On the voyage over, Jock again proved his leadership skills with a further promotion to Acting Sergeant prior to arriving on the 17th December 1940.
The battalion completed a few months training at Dimra, where the 2/48th unit was deemed to be fortunate to have a few seasoned soldiers who had served in WWI. John Glenn, in Tobruk to Tarakan, commented that Jock was ‘ready to teach others what it was good to know rather than to pass on old soldiers’ lurks. We owed a lot to them for their sensible approach to our problems; the loyal help of such men as Kenney was invaluable.’ Certainly, high praise from the ranks but also the hierarchy, as Jock was further promoted to Sergeant in January ’41.
He spent a brief week in hospital with a peptic ulcer in March preceded the battalion heading to Tobruk at the start of April 1941. There the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to the troops. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk, in the most highly decorated but decimated Battalion. There was, however, an incident where Jock’s efforts to protect the battalion were certainly not appreciated.
On the 18th April ’41 in the fight for Carrier Hill an enemy truck was caught approaching D Company. Quick thinking by the men resulted in the driver being killed whilst the other occupants scattered. Bill Manley SX7878 was in the patrol that then headed out to bring the truck back behind Allied lines. Later, in his laconic style he wrote a report.
“On the patrol were Warrant Officer Noble, Ron Provis, Bill Hoare and myself, with two or three others. We moved to the truck and found six German packs stacked very neatly, and in quick time did them over, searching for documents. I found a very good watch. Behind the vehicle we found a dual-purpose anti-tank gun, which we proceeded to tow back to company headquarters. The noise we made was terrific. Near Post S7 Jock Kennedy’s voice could be heard giving orders for the men to open fire on command. I was in a cold sweat. We yelled to Jock, telling him what we thought of him. We even went back a generation or two, and succeeded in leaving no doubt in his mind that we were Australians. We finally got the gun back to D Company headquarters.”
The following month, Jock was involved in the fierce fighting for Hill 209 which also claimed the lives of seven men from the battalion. John Glenn in his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ described conditions that day at Dimra: “At 3:50am on 1st May the men of the 2/48th stood-to to await the outcome of the battle which had raged all through the night. In thick mist, darkness, and bitter cold they snatched a quick breakfast of bully beef and hard biscuits.” An anxious wait followed as the morning dragged on; then around nine o’clock the noise of battle increased, and the continuous drumming of the artillery was joined by the sound of anti-tank guns and small arms fire from the direction of Forbes Mound, indicating a tank attack. Wave after wave of German dive bombers attacked the perimeter during the morning, and at midday they swept over our battalion area, where their bombing was joined with a heavy concentration of enemy artillery fire. The men went quickly to cover. One shell made a direct hit on a dugout of D company, killing two and wounding two others, while Sergeant Kennedy, a veteran of WWI, and acting commander of 17 Platoon, was injured by a fall of earth from the paraphet.’ and that his later diagnosed deafness was caused by this earth fall.
That was one of many chaotic days for the battalion as the men were under constant attack and a sandstorm was raging. Despite this, the cohesiveness of the battalion was evident in that all fallen and injured men were found and brought back behind Australian lines. However, it was still an appalling day for the close knit 2/48th.
Back home in May ’41, the Chronicle listed Jock as one of 29 wounded in action from his battalion. These included Pte. Laurence S. Baker, SX7282, Mambray Creek; Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew, SX7122, Narrung; Pte. Thomas Bell, SX8265, Snowtown; Joseph Buckley, SX8459, Albert Park, Vic; Pte. Robert W. Carvosso, SX7888, Glenelg; Pte. Ernest H. Chapman, SX7289, Koongawa; Pte. Ronald R. Collins, SX7163, Gulnare; Pte. M. G. Day. SX7434, Nairne; Pte. Harold W. Gass, SX7147, Mannum; Pte. Ronald A. Gepp, SX7884, Ashborne; Pte. Roy D. Goodes, SX6917. Cur ramulka; Pte. John Kennedy. SX7842, Adelaide; Lieut. Geoffrey D. Larkins, SX10332. St. Peters; Pte. Wilfred. J. Lewis, SX8856, Scott's Creek; Pte Henry O. Lohman. SX7771, Murray Bridge; Pte. Keith H. Pointon. SX7143. Prospect; Pte. Leonard G. Rex, SX7990, Colonel Light Gar dens; and Pte. Leonard J Rodda, SX7327, Moonta.
The resulting severe bruising to Jock’s lower back meant that he spent several weeks in hospital and the inevitable diagnosis that he was ‘permanently unfit for service’. By August, Jock’s war was over, and he returned to Australia that month via a hospital ship. Further adding to his injuries, Jock was later diagnosed with severe deafness.
The Advertiser interviewed many of the wounded soldiers in extensive reporting in their August ’41 edition including Sergeant John Kennedy, Infantry, of Adelphi terrace, Glenelg, who left Australia in November, 1940 Jock shared that he “was blown up when a dive bomber attacked his detachment of five. The other four men were killed, and he lay unconscious for two hours. They were manning the outer perimeter in Tobruk. He was placed on a hospital ship in Tobruk harbor which was bombed. He and 60 other stretcher cases were removed to an Australian destroyer and got away.” Another solider confirmed that a German pilot who was shot down by Australian anti-aircraft fire admitted that he had had specific instructions to bomb hospital ships. All the men were generous in their praise of the work of the Navy.
Jock then spent some time in the Riverland town of Renmark prior to being discharged on the 2nd October, ’41. With so many young men from the region serving overseas, locals were keen to hear of the conditions under which they were fighting. Jock was inevitably proud to tell of the high regard in which Aussie soldiers were held. This included sharing the courageous nightly reconnaissance thrusts out into the desert by the Australian troops.
The September ’41 issue of the Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record reported his praise of the 2/48th men. “Our men beat off attacks by both German and Italian soldiers and, operating swiftly and with a grim determination, captured artillery and machine guns and turned them on the enemy. "I never saw better or braver soldiers in my army career," said the sergeant. "In patrol actions they beat anything opposed to them and did magnificent work." He continued “Then came the story of a "Jerry" flank attack. The Aussies countered and threw the Germans out into the desert. They then worked toward their rear and cut the German lines of communication. They came back to the coast with 1,100 prisoners and a quantity of munitions and supplies. This action was not fought without loss to the British force. Then some patrols went out and brought back a 5-inch mortar, a 25-pounder gun, and some more machine guns.”
Jock also praised the efforts of fellow soldier with the 2/48th SX6023 Mervyn Westlake from Waikerie, a splendid soldier who “was always in the front line and did his duty like a good Australian.“ Mervyn was killed in his dugout by a direct hit from an enemy plane. Whilst speaking at Barmera, Jock also reported on the men from that town that they were “Cheerful and in high spirits, but eagerly looking .forward to a change of diet and scenery.” Jock was also generous in his praise for the work done by the Waikerie unit of the Fighting Forces Comforts Fund and that their splendid efforts on behalf of the men were deeply appreciated.
Locals were also interested to view Jocks odd assortment of ‘souvenirs, including a German camouflaged ground sheet taken from a prisoner of war, together with a shell casing, a small "tomato" bomb, and a numerous other things taken from the fields over which he operated.
Some years later, Jock acted as best man for Colin Runge, when he married Driver Maisie in Scott’s Church in October 1949. Colin, an accountant with the Taxation Department, had been a Flight Lieutenant, 419815 during the war.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.