Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthJune 17, 1887
Place of BirthMaybole, Scotland
CountryScotland
Marital StatusSingle
Next of KinMary Kenny (sister), 223 McIntyre St, Port Arthur, Ontario
Trade / Callinglabourer
ReligionPresbyterian
Service Details
Regimental Number148020
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion78th Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Place of EnlistmentWinnipeg, Manitoba
Address at EnlistmentKeewatin, Ontario
Date of EnlistmentAugust 2, 1915
Age at Enlistment28
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of Death19481220
Age at Death61
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario
Plot41E-29-2

Kenny, James

James Kenny is the son of James Kenny and Jane Davies. On the 1911 census of Keewatin Ontario, James Kenny is age 22, born Scotland, single, and a lodger. He states he is working on the tugboat Verbena and that he had come to the area in 1906.   James’ brother, John Kenny is also a lodger in Keewatin, age 26, born Scotland, and is a labourer at the flour mill. Three brothers from this family enlisted. First Robert, a shoemaker by trade, signed up on 25 May 1915 in Port Arthur and named his father James of Port Arthur as his next of kin. Then James, a labourer, enlisted on 02 August 1915 in Winnipeg naming his sister Mary Kenny of Port Arthur as his next of kin. Lastly John, a miller by trade, enlisted on 20 September 1915 in Calgary and named his wife Jane (McVey) in Lethbridge, A as his next of kin.

James Kenny left Kenora with the 78th battalion and was seriously injured in early 1916 near Ypres France. He suffered a severe wound in the upper portion of the forehead from a rifle bullet and almost died. In June 1916, he returned to Keewatin to a hero’s welcome.   James is listed as being from Kenora in the newspaper article detailing the Great Reception at the Tourist Hotel on 1 April 1919 for Returned Men. His name also appears on the Keewatin honour roll published by the newspaper on 9 April 1919. On the 1921 census for Keewatin, James is shown as a boarder, age 38, born Scotland, living on Wharf Street. He stated that he had come to Canada in 1907. Unfortunately   his occupation is unreadable on the census.

James lived the rest of his life in Keewatin Ontario. He did not marry. Prior to his death, he had been working on the construction of the new Keewatin rink. James passed away suddenly on 20 December 1948 and his obituary states that he had a large circle of friends and two brothers, Robert and John, both of Port Arthur.   His sister Mary (who married John Davidson in 1916) is not mentioned nor are James’ parents so they may all have predeceased him. James is buried in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery in a military grave.

By Rhonda Glofcheski

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