Flight Sergeant David Robert KENNEDY (1801582)
50 Squadron Royal Air Force

Date of birth: 18th July 1923
Date of death: 17th December 1944

Killed in action aged 21
Buried at Durnbach War Cemetery Plot 7 Row G Grave 4
He was born at Canterbury on the 18th of July 1923, the son of Robert Kennedy, brewer's agent, and Hilda May of "Romney", Littlebourne Road, Canterbury.

He was educated at Canterbury Cathedral Choir School, and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1936 to July 1940, where he was in Marlowe House.

On leaving school he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he served with 50 Squadron as an Air Bomber.

On the night of the 17th/18th of December 1944 Bomber Command dispatched 280 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes from 5 Group for an operation on Munich. Although no local verification could be obtained Bomber Command claimed widespread damage to the old centre of the city and to railway targets. Twelve factories in the city and the railway repair shops at Freimann were amongst the targets damaged or destroyed.

David Kennedy and his crew took off from RAF Skellingthorpe at 4.15 pm on the 17th of December 1944 in Lancaster Mk III LM676 VN-W for the operation. At 10pm the aircraft was hit by flak and exploded, with the debris falling on to Freimann Barracks in the south of the city.

The crew members who died were:-

Flying Officer Ronald Ernest Amey DFC (Pilot) (Died of wounds 31st December 1944)
Flight Sergeant David William McCray RAAF (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant David Robert Kennedy (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant George William Lane DFM (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Michael John Cook (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant F. Livesey (Flight Engineer) (POW Stalag Luft I)
Sergeant Roy Shackleton (Rear Gunner)


Ronald Amey and Sergeant Livesey were ejected by the blast; Amey died in Hospital on the 31st of December 1944 after developing pneumonia and is buried with his fellow crew members.

Theirs was one of four Lancasters lost on the raid.
Marlowe House

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