Chapter 10 A CLOSING WORD

[Kindly written by Colonel E.G.F. Macpherson,

Senior Chaplain to the Forces (Church of England).]

The completion of Mr. Kennedy's account of his work at Boulogne was not finished ere he entered into his rest. As the senior under whom he served during the latter part of his term with the Expeditionary Force, I have been asked to add a few concluding remarks, relative to his labours from the period his own narrative ends.

Part of Mr. Kennedy's sphere of work lay just outside the Base at a certain place. Here was erected a camp of wooden huts, occupied by a considerable number of A.S.C. Dock Labourers. In this camp there was no building where the troops could pass a pleasant and innocent evening, nor was there a church within reasonable distance of the place. This, of course, was naturally a great disadvantage to any chaplain in his endeavours to get a hold upon the men. Mr. Kennedy felt the need; with him to think was to act.

He came to me and requested that I should write a letter to him, asking him (as he was going immediately on short leave to England) to do what he could to influence friends at home to supply what we both recognized was a crying need.

Although Mr. Kennedy was only away about a week, he returned with between two or three hundred pounds, to start the erection of a Hut for recreational and religious purposes.

The next thing to do was to obtain a suitable site, preferably in the midst of the camp.

Mr. Kennedy obtained the consent of the Base Commandant, and that of the officer commanding the camp; the latter especially rendering all the assistance in his power-particularly in obtaining for us the services of a competent architect.

Plans were drawn up and approved by me. It was found that the expenses of the Church Hut would be considerably more than was at first contemplated: ￡600, not ￡400 as we thought. Mr. Kennedy appealed once more to his friends and to the readers of certain religious papers. Pecuniary assistance flowed rapidly in, and we were soon assured of enough money to build a large and commodious Church Hut. There was to be a large hall, a coffee bar, kitchen, and some small rooms.

Mr. Kennedy, in spite of much other work in which he was engaged, found time to constantly trudge to and fro to the camp, watching, with zealous care, the erection of the Hut. No less keen and interested spectators were the A.S.C. men themselves, for it meant a great deal to them-somewhere to go to when work was done, somewhere to pass an hour or so.

Mr. Kennedy's idea was to supply wholesome refreshment, daily papers and magazines, and games to play. This during the week.

On Sundays the place was to be 'rigged,' as sailors call it, as a church. It was to be used also for Bible Classes and Instructions.

In wonderfully quick time the Hut was built, and duly opened. This latter event happened after I was called home on special duty.

Needless to say the Hut has been greatly used, both from a social and religious point of view; and has been directly and indirectly the means of much good being done. It is another monument to the life's work of a noble soul.

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Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner, Frome and London.

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Typographical errors corrected in text:

Page 20: vessel replaced with vessels

Page 178: Amy replaced with Army

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