Military officer.
Born at Cork, Ireland on 1 April 1885, son of James William Hennessy and Mary Ellen McCarthy, he was educated at the Christian Brothers’ College in Cork. He came to Canada in 1888 then returned to Ireland in 1892. He served with the British Army in South Africa (1906-1910) before returning to Canada in November 1912 where he worked as a military instructor in Manitoba. On 21 June 1915, he married Ellen Dorothy Robb (?-?) and they had two sons and a daughter. During the First World War, he served with distinction in the First Division, being awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, French Croix de Guerre, and French Medal Reconnaissance (Third Class), and was Mentioned in Despatches. In February 1920, he was appointed Staff Officer for Military District No. 10. During the Second World War, he achieved the rank of Colonel and was Second-in-Command of the Canadian contingent at Hong Kong. He died during the Japanese invasion in 1940 and was buried in the Sai Wan War Cemetery.
Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.
We thank Michael Hennessy for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 18 July 2019
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