author

Edmund John Kennedy

d. 1915

A Church of England clergyman, YMCA leader, and wartime chaplain, he wrote from direct experience and left behind a vivid account of service with British troops during the First World War. His work carries the immediacy of someone who was there, writing close to the events he describes.

1 Audiobook

With The Immortal Seventh Division

With The Immortal Seventh Division

by Edmund John Kennedy

About the author

Before publishing his best-known wartime book, he had already built a varied career in religious and public service. Sources describe him as Edmund John Kennedy, a Church of England clergyman who served as General Secretary of the YMCA in London, later held parish posts including St. James', Hatcham and St. Mark's, Marylebone Road, and worked as a chaplain to British forces during the First World War.

He is associated with With the Immortal Seventh Division, a memoir drawn from his time with the troops. Editions published after his death note that he did not live to see the book appear in print, which gives the work an added sense of urgency and closeness to the moment.

Because the surviving information found here is limited, it is safest to remember him as a pastor and observer rather than a career literary figure. What makes his writing stand out is its firsthand view of wartime life and the human side of military service.