Irving Farmer "Hap" Kennedy

KENNEDY, F/O Irving Farmer (J15273) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.249 Sq.
Award effective 22 June 1943 as per London Gazette dated 6 July 1943

This officer has completed much operational flying, involving bomber escort flights, sweeps and bombing sorties. During an operation in 1943, Flying Officer Kennedy shot down a Junkers 52. A little later he saw many of these aircraft flying almost at sea level. Flying Officer Kennedy immediately attacked one of them, causing it to dive into the water with one engine on fire. This officer, who has destroyed five enemy aircraft, has invariably displayed great keenness.

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Skull Fractured, Carried On, Canadian Flier Gets D.F.M.

London, July 6 (Tuesday) 1943 -(CP)-  F/O Irving Farmer Kennedy of Cumberland, Ont., and P/O Bruce Haynes Tupper of Saskatoon were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Sgt. Lloyd George Collins of Marchwell, Sask., and Russell, Man., the Distinguished Flying Medal, it was announced today.
All three men are members of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Collins was navigator aboard a bomber which attacked Dortmund and over the target area was wounded in the head, suffering a skull fracture.
"Although weakened by the loss of blood he refrained from informing his captain of the injury until the target was bombed and the aircraft was well clear of the areas" the citation said.
"Displaying outstanding fortitude Collins calmly executed his duties and plotted his course for the homeward flights" On landing the sergeant collapsed and was removed to a hospital in a semi-comatose condition.
Kennedy is a veteran of much operational flying involving bomber escort flights, sweeps and bombing sorties over Malta. He is credited with the destruction of five enemy aircraft and invariably displayed great keenness.
Tupper completed numerous sorties, many over difficult terrain. His citation said, "he is a resourceful captain for the success that he obtained .. he set an example worthy of the highest praise."
Kennedy, who is growing famous as a "double play" artist, shared in the destruction of two planes flying in formation before reaching Malta early in June, and has a total of five enemy aircraft destroyed.

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R.C.A.F. PILOTS COVER LANDING

With the R.C.A.F. in Sicily, Oct. 5, 1943 (CP) — For many Canadian Spitfire pilots operating from airfields and landing strips here, the job of covering seaborne landings near Naples was their first in operational flying with bulky, 90-gallon long-distance gas tanks.
Flying with an R.A.F. squadron on the island — the squadron formerly commanded by S/L George Hill, D.F.C. and Bar, of Pictou, N.S — were F/O Jake Woolgar of Edmonton; F/O Don Rogers of Amherstburg, Ont.; F/O I. F. Kennedy, D.F.C., of Cumberland, Ont., and Sgt. Reg Gray of Toronto.
Among other Canadians serving with various fighter squadrons are Sgt. D. J. Schmitz, Humboldt, Sask.; F/L M. Johnson, Selkirk, Man.; F/S Tom Larlee, Woodstock, N.B.; P/O Bruce Ingalls, Danville, Que., and F/O Bob Clasper, Winnipeg.
The big jettison tanks are of metal or fiber, which fit under the fuselage, roughly doubling fuel capacity. With the tanks fitted, Spitfires are said to have an endurance of more than four hours. In event of engagements with the enemy the tanks can be jettisoned by pulling a lever.

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Surrendering in Mid-Air, Italians Show Elation

By F/O BOB FRANCIS, R.C.A.F.
With the R.C.A.F., in Italy, Nov. 5, 1943 - (CP) - One of the first concrete prizes to come into Allied hands after the capitulation of Italy was a three-motored Savoi medium bomber, which surrendered in mid-flight to a single Allied fighter.
The machine was seen over the sea north of Sicily and an R.A.F. Spitfire squadron, with which P/O Bruce J. Ingalls of Danville, Que., was flying, was warned to be on the lookout. “When the Spitfires did find the Italian aircraft, Ingalls said, a Grumman Martlett fighter already was shepherding it toward Sicily.
"We were on the way home after a patrol over the assault beaches," said Ingalls, "when we got the message to watch for this Eytie machine. When we found it the Grumman already had it in tow, so to speak, so we just flew along with them for a while. It finally landed at a field close to our own.
"We didn't see the surrender, but we heard afterward that the crew waved handkerchiefs from every window in the kite as soon as the fighter appeared."

Toronto Flier in Melee
A Toronto Spitfire pilot, P/O Bill Reid, of 141 Old Forest Hill Road, was flying with an R.A.F. squadron which engaged 12 FW-190's over the Italian, coast, shooting down three and damaging another. The German aircraft had released their bombs when the Spitfires dived on them. Reid fired at two FWs during the melee, but was not able to confirm any score.
"I got in a burst at the first one in a tight turn, but could not see my fire striking home on him," Reid said. "A moment later I saw one going down in flames, but we couldn't confirm whether it was mine or not"
A moment later he opened fire on another, but did not see any results from this attack.

“Hap” Kennedy Promoted
I. F. (Hap) Kennedy, D.F.C., of Cumberland, Ont., veteran fighter pilot with a score of seven enemy aircraft destroyed, has been promoted flight lieutenant and placed in charge of a flight in an R.A.F. Spitfire squadron in Sicily.
Kennedy was one of several Canadians flying with the squadron from which he transferred on receiving his promotion and in his new unit he again found himself among members of the R.C.A.F. He had five aircraft destroyed to his credit when he joined his first squadron in Sicily, then commanded by Sqdn. Ldr. George Hill, D.F.C., and two bars, of Pictou, N.S. His sixth and seventh victories were FW190's, each destroyed after long chases. The first Focke Wulfe was shot down over the Italian coast during a dusk patrol only a few hours after the squadron destroyed six Macchi Italian fighters in a single engagement.
The last came the day after the invasion of Italy, when Kennedy chased the German 50 miles along the Italian coast, damaging the machine with gunfire and forcing the pilot to bail out.
Other Canadians with his present squadron are Sgts. J. C. Turcott, Sudbury, Ont.; Bill Downer, Midland, Ont., and P/O Bill Hockey, Kentville, N.S.

Mascot Goes With Squadron
When the pilots of one R.A.F. Squadron say that where they go goes their mascot, they mean it. In fact, when the first member of the squadron set foot on Italian soil ‘Spitfire,’ a little brown and white mongrel, scrambled out of the aircraft with him.
F/O J.R. Woolgar, Edmonton, one of several R.C.A.F. pilots with the squadron, arrived with some other pilots by transport plane the day the Spitfires landed at their first base here. As he jumped out on the dusty field, the little mascot came out with him, maintaining her reputation of being one of the most-traveled dogs in the air force. Spitfire joined the squadron in Algiers and has covered North Africa, Malta, Sicily and Italy in her travels.

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Canadians in Spitfires Aid Drive Toward Rome

THE GLOBE AND MAIL, MONDAY, JAN. 24, 1941
Advanced Italian Airfield, Jan. 23 - (CP) - As the Allied push advances steadily up the central sector of the Italian boot, Spitfire fighters bear continually further north in sweeps and patrols over enemy territory.
R.C.A.F, pilots who form an important part of British fighter squadrons in the Naples area have played a leading part in recent operations which have reached as far from base as the City of Rome itself.
F/O Ross K. Whitney, veteran Spit pilot from Chapleau, one of the leading Canadian airmen in a famous R.A.F. squadron here, was one of those who was over Rome during a recent sweep.

Looked Like Village
"We were right over the city about 19,000 feel," Whitney said afterwards. "I'd been looking out for it, but for a moment I didn't recognize where we were. From four miles up it looked just like a village. It didn't seem to cover nearly as great an area as, say, Naples. You could hardly pick out any features from that height."
Whitney said enemy ground defenses did not throw up any flak at the Spitfire formations from positions in the city itself, though some pilots reported they had been fired at from other points along the course of their sweep.
"We saw an airfield near Rome which seemed to have some twin-engine aircraft based on it, but nobody came up after us that time," Whitney said.
Flt. Sgt. M. S. Zimmerman, Preston, was another Canadian pilot on the sweep. With Whitney he recently took part in a strafing flight during which two German reconnaissance aircraft were shot down and an enemy airfield attacked.
The operation was the first of its kind carried out by this squadron on the Italian front, and was planned as a low-flying sweep along highways and communication lines behind the German front, in search of road transport and other ground targets.

Enemy Proves Slow
Zimmerman shared with an English pilot credit for destruction of one of the German light aircraft. He also took part in strafing attacks on an airfield where the pilots spotted a number of machines on the ground.
"We found those two down in a valley back of the line," Zimmerman said. "They moved pretty slowly compared with us, and it was hard to get our sights on them sometimes. The pilots pulled off quite a bit of aerobatics before we got them, trying to avoid us.”
P/O Bruce Ingalls of Danville, Que.; P/O J. C. Turcott of Sudbury, and Flt. Lt. I. F. (Hap) Kennedy, D.F.C., of Cumberland, Ont., are other veterans of sweeps over Rome. Kennedy, with 10 enemy aircraft destroyed to his credit, is one of the highest-scoring Canadians in the Mediterranean theatre of war.

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1944
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RCAF Shoots Down 26 Enemy Planes
in Normandy Between Dawn and Dusk

By P.O. H. R. McDONALD, A Canadian Airfield in France,
June 29, 1944 - (CP). - Canadian fighter planes, in one of the most brilliant achievements in the history of the R.C.A.F., shot down 26 out of a total of 34 enemy aircraft destroyed over the Normandy front between dawn and dusk yesterday.
In addition, R.C.A.F. pilots chalked up a number of enemy planes probab1y shot down and a number bf others which were damaged.
Four pilots scored double kills. They were Wing Cmdr. J. E. (Johnny) Johnson, English–born commander of a Canadian fighter wing operating from an R.C.A.F. base in Normandy, and Flt, Lts. H.C. Trainor, Charlottetown; W. T. Klersy, 14 Harcroft Rd., Toronto, and R. K. Hayward. St. John's, Nfld.

Destroys Two, Damages Third
Hayward destroyed two FW-190's and damaged a third, which gave him the highest R.C.A.F. individual score of the day.
Earlier reports indicated the Canadian airmen had downed 18 enemy planes in yesterday's daylight operations.
The complete figures were reached by intelligence officers today after a period of aerial operations which exceeded in intensity anything since the Allied Normandy beachhead was opened June 6.
Besides the toll of enemy planes, which included all fighter types, R.C.A.F. pilots also strafed transport on the roads.

Final claims on two aircraft are being sifted
Among the R.C.A.F. Spitfire pilots contributing to the total with one Hun each were: Flt. Lts. Irving Kennedy, Cumberland, Ont.; G. R. Patterson, Kelowna, B.C.; J. McElroy, Kamloops, B.C.; Henry Zary, New York; R. M. Stayner, Saskatoon; A. F. Halcrow, Penticton, B.C.; G. W. Johnson, 102 Beechwood Ave., Hamilton, Ont.; D. E. Noonan, 146 Willingdon Ave., Kingston, Ont.; J. P. Rainville, Montreal; and Flying Officers W. J. Banks, Leaside, Ont. and G. H. Farquharson, Corbyville, Ont.
Wing Cmdr. Johnson's score of two brought his total of enemy planes downed to 32, equaling the mark set by Group Capt. A. G. (Sailor) Malan, a South African, now on ground duty.
Among the R.C.A.F. fliers scoring probables were FO. A. C. Brandon, Timmins, Ont.; FO. J. B. O'Sullivan, Vancouver; and PO. J. M. Flood, Hearst, Ont.

Nine Others Damaged
At least nine others wire damaged by fliers of the R.C.A.F.
Of the wings comprising Group Capt, W. (Bill) MacBrien's R.C.AF. sector, the one led by 22-year-old Wing Cmdr, George Keefer, D.F.C. and Bar, Charlottetown, was high ,scorer of the day with 13 confirmed victories. Johnson's wing was second with seven, in a close race with a unit led by Wing Cmdr. R. A. Buckham, Vancouver.
The margin for Keefer's wing was established in two dusk operations in which seven enemy planes were destroyed and two damaged. In the first action Hayward sighted more than 25 Nazi fighters and led his formation in pursuit. He damaged one.
Later the same Spitfires became embroiled with a dozen FW-190's, and Hayward got two of them. The first fell out of control, and the second burst into flames and crashed after Hayward had followed it down to tree-top height.
"The Huns were like bees,” said WO. Murray Havers, 1 Lloyd St., Hamilton. Ont. "They seemed confused and acted as though they did not know what they were doing."
The Canadian airmen said the Germans did not put up much of a fight despite their numerical advantage.
Other Canadians credited with kills during the day were FO. G. R. Stephen, Montreal; FO. Larry Robillard, Ottawa; FO. W. A. Gilbert, Dartmouth, N.S.; FO. Don Goodwin, Maynooth, Ont.; and FO. Tommy Wheler, 10 Beauford Rd., Toronto,
F'O. Klersy took a prominent part in athletics at St, Michael's College, playing hockey and rugby. He also rowed for his college, and was goalie for Ostrander's mercantile hockey team. Enlisting in June, 1941, he took aircrew training in Toronto, Oshawa and Dunnville and after nearly a year with a fighter squadron at Bagotville, FO. Klersy went overseas in May 1942.
The 21-year-year old airman is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Klersy, 14 Harcroft Rd.

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Surrenders In Air To Canadian Flier

Headquarters Allied Armies, July 3, 1944 -(AP)- A terrified German pilot surrendered in the air over France Sunday to a Canadian Spitfire pilot who was out of ammunition after firing his last round into the ME-109 at 150 yards.
Flt. Lt. Irving P. Kennedy of Cumberland, Ont., said he faked a couple of passes and then flew alongside the Nazi.
"His engine had stopped," Kennedy said. "The pilot shook his head, waved to me and pointed down. I took it he was going to crashland. He did. I followed him down and saw a wing tear off."
It was number 12 for Kennedy.

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HONORS GIVEN 11 RCAF MEN FOR GALLANTRY

Ottawa, Sept. 5, 1944 -(CP)- Air Force Headquarters announced tonight the award of 1 Distinguished Service Order, 1 Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross, 6 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 3 Distinguished Flying Medals to members of the RCAF Overseas. The recipients:

DSO
Sqdn. Ldr, H. W. McLeod, DFC and Bar, Regina.,
BAR TO THE DFC
Sgdn, Ldr, I. F. Kennedy, DFC, Cumberland, Ont.
           - (reported missing June 26)
DFC
Flt, Lt. J. M. G. Plamandon, Ste. Michel, Que.
Flt, Lt. L. R. Brochu, Ste Marie de Beauce, Que.
Flt. Lt. R. K. Hayward, St, John's, Nfld.
Flt. Lt. R. W. Orr of 206 Livingstone Ave, Toronto.
FO. W. T. Klersy of 14 Harcroft rd., Toronto.
FO. H. J. Powell, Frankford, Ont.
DFM
Flt. Sgt. J. W. Cumbers, Winnipeg,
Flt. Sgt. E. A., Snider, Haliburton, Ont.
Sgt. W. R. Williams, Winnipeg,

McLeod, who has distinguished himself as one of Canada's top-scoring fighter pilots with 17 enemy aircraft to his credit, was awarded the DSO for his continued display of the "highest standard of courage and resolution as an exceptional leader and relentless fighter."
Kennedy received the Bar to the DFC for his example of  "Keenness and resolution." He has 11 enemy aircraft to his credit.

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KENNEDY, F/L (now S/L) Irving Farmer, DFC (J15273) - Bar to DFC
No.401 Squadron - Award effective 5 Sept 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 2373/44 dated 3 November 1944

This officer has set a fine example of keenness and devotion to duty. He is a most resolute and skilful fighter and has destroyed eleven enemy aircraft. Flight Lieutenant Kennedy is a fine leader and his services have proved of immense value.

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Victories listed by Chris Shores, Aces High (2nd edition) as follows:

The way Hap tells it, a couple planes he was credited with sharing [1/3 & 1/2]
should not have been - AND he gave another kill away. If you go with that,
it would make his score 14.25 at the most but he's credited with 12 1/12

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Canadian Aces

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