“The best CO I’ve ever served under”: Lieutenant-Colonel Bert Kennedy and Removal from Battalion Command in the Second World War

Authors

• Matthew Barrett
• Norma Graham

Abstract

Lieutenant-Colonel Albert A. Kennedy’s war service could be lifted from the pages of a suspense novel, an action-adventure story and a courtroom drama. He bravely served as commanding officer of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Italy, where he led from the front, earned the Distinguished Service Order and for a time was even held as a prisoner of war. His command of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada in North West Europe, by contrast, ended in a confidential report and charges of alleged conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. We examine Kennedy’s Second World War experiences and his general court martial to explore complex dynamics and frictions of battalion-level leadership as well as themes of command responsibility, exhaustion, discipline and removal.

Recommended Citation

Barrett, Matthew and Graham, Norma "“The best CO I’ve ever served under”: Lieutenant-Colonel Bert Kennedy and Removal from Battalion Command in the Second World War." Canadian Military History 35, 1 (2026)