On Friday last week Agnes Kennedy's family paid their final respects to a redoubtable lady who during her time in India contributed greatly to the Allied War effort. Agnes (nee Copeland) lived in Calcutta where her husband George Kennedy served as a military lawyer. George was a member of the Calcutta Scottish Regiment, famous for their part in the raid on the German wireless ship operating in neutral Goa. George's brothers John and Patrick were both serving, the former in the Poona Horse and the Chindits and the latter as a chaplain in the RAF. Agnes worked for Indian Army Intelligence from 1938, then successively for MI6, MI3 & 4. She ended up as Secretary to the Directorate of Military Intelligence. She was involved in “dirty tricks” for example the dropping of dummy paratroopers and issuing button compasses. She worked for Peter Fleming, brother of Ian Fleming (creator of James Bond). She joined as a T.W.A (Woman Temporary Assistant) Officer Status at Bombay Harbour and worked as an Admiralty Berthing Officer in 1944/45. She was involved in Operation “Button” established in January 1944 which was the Japanese Invasion Force which was aborted because the Atom Bomb forced Japan to surrender. In this operation she was in charge of Merchant Ship Berthing. The Commanding Officer of RNR Berthing Office reported that “ Mrs. Kennedy put in some really excellent work in juggling the merchant ship berths round, a very intricate job necessitating nice co-ordination of timings to make 10 berths do the work of 20, without whose organising ability the job would have been twice as hard.” Agnes was working in Bombay during the infamous Bombay Harbour Explosion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Explosion_(1944) Agnes lived to the great age of 96. She will be greatly mourned by all who knew her.
