Our Family Equation

My dad, Burton Ross Kennedy, a.k.a. “Burt,” was born and raised in Allegheny City. Allegheny City’s men were the first Western Pennsylvanians to enlist in the Civil War and get into combat. Burt’s grandfathers served in the 9th PA Reserves; the first Western Pennsylvania regiment to face combat: John A. Ross, company A, and John Kennedy of company K. Also, his uncle, James B. Kennedy served in the 61st PA along with Andrew Voegtley who married dad’s aunt Susanna Kennedy. All were members of the GAR, “Grand Army of the Republic,” with many members parading on holidays and funerals. Burt’s relatives, and many other former Allegheny soldiers probably influenced Burt during his formative years, 1893 to 1903.

Dad was working in Detroit when World War One broke out in 1914. He was one of about 1,800 other U.S. Citizens to cross the border into Canada to fight “the Huns.” He enlisted in 1915 and trained with the 33rd Battalion.

However, he did not ship out to war with the battalion. He missed shipping overseas with them because he was injured at St. Thomas during a leave.

This is where the Alcohol part of the equation comes from; although the official record says he was hit by a train, some family members say it was the result of a drunken brawl. (Dad would never tell.) At any rate, he had a severe head injury which held him back until 1916, probably saving his life. There is a picture of the 33rd on which Dad crossed out almost every soldier, indicating they were KIA: (Killed in Action).

Burt was reassigned to 70th Battalion and sent to England. He went to France and reported to the 58th Battalion June 20, 1916. He was only in France 20 days! While serving with the 58th Battalion he suffered two epileptic seizures, at Ypres July 2, and Geu Bouloque July 6, 1916. Sent back to Canada he is discharged as “Unfit for Duty,” and returns to Pittsburgh under his brother’s care. (His parents had separated, apparently alcohol problems.)

His brother Jack is living on Yew Street in Bloomfield, next door to the Adam Kuhn family.

Over the back-fence Burt meets Ida Kuhn.

Ida lived with her mother, three brothers, and her younger sister, Martha, a.k.a. “Babe.” Her father, a saloon owner, had left the family to live with his bar maid. This is one of the reasons that Ida is a strict temperance person for the rest of her life. In 1918 she was quite happy that the bars were closed during the Flu Pandemic.

Burt’s sister, Hazel, takes him to Minnesota for medical help and he seems to get better.

In 1917 the U.S. joins the war, starts the draft, and is looking for Burt.

Burt knows what will happen to new untried outfits and he goes to Canada and re-enlists under a different name, a.k.a. Robert Ross Keene. The new unit is one of the “Black Watch” Highlanders. His letters to Ida Kuhn begin from Camp Borden, near Ontario, Canada.

In his first letter he apologized for not saying goodbye and that he was “Sober as a Judge.”

Again, he is sent to France and is assigned to the 75th Battalion. He is retrained as a Lewis Gunner; and this is where the “Gun” comes in because machine gunners also carry a pistol. During the battle of Cambrai on September 30th, 1918, he was shot by a sniper during a rear-guard action. (This from his sister Hazel) The bullet broke his right arm, hit the pistol, ricocheted up and lodged in his upper back. He always said his life was saved by that pistol.

Dad was left handed, I believe he was carrying the holster reversed. (see picture of Lewis Gunner.) He would have received a wound to the middle body. The bullet lodged in his upper back.

Back in hospital in England he again experiences seizures. The Army doctors don’t want to operate on him, so he left the hospital and had a civilian doctor remove the bullet.

He recovered enough in Canada to visit home; he marries Ida Kuhn on April 5th and is discharged from hospital a week later.

In 1922 my sister Mildred was born, she married Jim Lanning in 1941. Jim entered WWII as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1942, years later he was a Colonel in the Connecticut Reserves before he died in 1999. Mildred died at age 83 and is survived by 4 children, 16 grandchildren, and lots of greatgrandchildren. I was born in 1935, drafted into the Army in 1959, married at Fort Benning, and served 13 months in Korea. I have two children and three grandkids from this marriage.

During his life my Dad suffered many epileptic seizures, but fewer after he received medicine created during the second World War. During WWII he was an Air Raid Warden.

My father received a pension from Canada as Burton Kennedy for the rest of his life and the main reason he never talked about the 2nd enlistment. He used the U.S. Veterans hospital facilities thru a reciprocal agreement with Canada. There is a letter from Canada looking for Robert Keene, but he never answered it or used that name for his veteran benefits. He died in a nursing home in 1985…

-Burton Ross Kennedy, Jr.

17-May-2020