Samuel Raymond Kenny

Wartime Heritage ASSOCIATION

Remembering World War II

Samuel Raymond Kenny Civilian Radio Operator Royal Air Force Ferry Command November 26, 1918 Louisburg, Cape Breton Co., NS September 27, 1941 22 Newry Old Chapel Roman Catholic Cemetery, Ireland Plot 783 - Section New A Samuel Raymond Kenny was the son of Calvin David Kenny (1886-1946) and Annie Marie Kenny (1887- 1973) of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. He attended school in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia and radio school in Halifax. In 1941 he joined the Royal Air Force Ferry Command operations as a Radio Operator. Due to a shortage of trained radio operators on the Canadian side of the Ferry operations civilian radio operators were recruited for the transoceanic flights. On the morning of September 27, 1941 an aircraft (Hudson AE577) was observed flying near Waterford and made its way up the country landing at Baldonnel aerodrome outside Dublin. The pilot was RCAF Flight Lieutenant Louis Romeo Dubuc. RAF Sergeant Frederick James Goodwin was the navigator and Samuel Raymond Kenny was the radio operator. The crew reported they were running short of fuel and had flown from Canada. Having rested a short time, they were given more fuel and upon receiving agreement from the Department of External Affairs of the Irish Government, the aircraft departed at 1:20 pm. Flight Lieutenant Dubuc reported that though they had had a bad flight so far he was anxious to continue on. At 2:10 pm the plane crashed into the fog and cloud obscured slopes, 800' above sea level, in the vicinity of Jenkinstown. All three members of the crew were killed. Louis Dubec and Samuel Kenny were buried in the Newry old Chapel Roman Catholic Cemetery and Frederick Goodwin was buried in the Smethwick (Uplands) Cemetery, Staffordshire.