William Kennedy (Royal Navy officer)

Admiral Sir William Robert Kennedy GCB (4 March 1838 – 9 October 1916) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

Biography
Born in Naples, Italy where his father John Kennedy was the British Chargé d'affaires, Kennedy joined the Royal Navy in 1851 and served with the Naval Brigade during the Crimean War. He was present at the bombardment of Canton in 1856, at the Battle of Fatshan Creek in 1857 and at the attack on the Peiho Forts in 1858 during the Second Opium War.

Kennedy married Edith Louisa Stopford in Daventry in 1868; they had one daughter Alice Emily Kennedy. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies in 1892 and Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1900. He was promoted to Admiral 16 June 1901 and retired in November 1901.

He was also an accomplished author who wrote an extensive autobiography and other books.

His brothers included Sir John Gordon Kennedy KCMG (1836–1912), who became an eminent diplomat, and Gilbert George Kennedy (1844–1909) who played for the Scottish XI in the second international football match against England.

Honours and awards

 * 22 June 1897 - To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria Vice-Admiral William Robert Kennedy is appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
 * 19 June 1911 - On the occasion of the Coronation of King George V, Admiral Sir William Robert Kennedy, KCB, is promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

Publications

 * Kennedy, Sir William, Hurrah for the life of a sailor! - Fifty Years in the Royal Navy, Kessinger Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4368-7869-2
 * Kennedy, Sir William, Sport, Travel, and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies, BiblioBazaar, 2010, ISBN 978-1-142-88630-1
 * Kennedy, Sir William, Sporting Adventures in the Pacific: Whilst in Command of the Reindeer, BiblioBazaar, 2010, ISBN 978-1-142-18032-4
 * Kennedy, Sir William, Sporting Sketches in South America, Kessinger Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4371-0448-6