Henry George Kendall
Encyclopedia
Henry George Kendall was a British sea captain who survived several shipwrecks, including an attack by a German
submarine during World War I
, and was also noted for his role in the capture of murderer Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen
.
). Two years later he worked with Guglielmo Marconi
to develop ship-to-shore radio before getting his first command in 1908. Two years later he was appointed captain of the Canadian Pacific Line's and within months had become famous following his role in the capture of Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen
, the London cellar murderer, in what was the first use of radio to capture a criminal. Kendall's radio messages alerted Scotland Yard
and Inspector Dew was dispatched to Canada on the faster ship, the White Star Line
's , and arrived in Canada before Montrose. Disguised as a pilot, Dew boarded Montrose and arrested Crippen.
after colliding with the Storstad
, a Norwegian coal freighter with an ice-breaking bow. The accident occurred at night. The two ships were head to head when a fog bank rolled onto the river and Storstad changed position, believing the Empress to be on the Storstads port side. This turned the freighter into the side of the larger ship, which was passing on the starboard side. The damage was catastrophic and the Empress sank in just 14 minutes with the loss of 1,012 people. Kendall was thrown from the bridge when the ship keeled over suddenly but survived; he was cleared of all charges in the disaster.
, where he was soon in the news again. As the Germans invaded Belgium, the British Consulate in Antwerp was besieged by around 600 refugees. Kendall worked with the consul Sir Cecil Hertslet to formulate a plan to rescue them by using the Montrose to tow the , which was out of commission, out of the port and on to England.
Kendall then joined the crew of and served with the ship until 1918, during which time he was mentioned in despatches on several occasions. In March 1918 Calgarian was torpedoed off the Ulster coast by German submarine U-19 but Kendall survived again. He went on to serve as a King's Messenger before being appointed Commodore of Convoys. When the war ended he was appointed Marine Superintendent at Southampton by Canadian Pacific and remained there until he moved to a similar position in London in 1924. He died in an English nursing home in 1965 at the age of 91.
and his great grandchildren include F1
journalist Joe Saward
and rape campaigner Jill Saward
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
submarine during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was also noted for his role in the capture of murderer Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
.
Early career
Captain Henry Kendall began his career in sailing ships in 1888 at the age of 14. 8 years later he got married to Jane 'Minnie' Jones. In 1900 he survived a shipwreck on the Newfoundland coast when he was an officer on the SS Lusitania (a predecessor to the torpedoed in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
). Two years later he worked with Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
to develop ship-to-shore radio before getting his first command in 1908. Two years later he was appointed captain of the Canadian Pacific Line's and within months had become famous following his role in the capture of Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
, the London cellar murderer, in what was the first use of radio to capture a criminal. Kendall's radio messages alerted Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and Inspector Dew was dispatched to Canada on the faster ship, the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
's , and arrived in Canada before Montrose. Disguised as a pilot, Dew boarded Montrose and arrested Crippen.
Shipwreck of RMS Empress of Ireland
In May 1914 Kendall was appointed Captain of the . Almost month later the ship sank in Canada's Saint Lawrence RiverSaint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
after colliding with the Storstad
Storstad
The Storstad was a 6,000 ton Norwegian collier , built in 1910 in Newcastle upon Tyne, owned by A. F. Klaveness & Co. She was torpedoed and sunk during World War I on March 8, 1917 by U-62 at .-Disaster:...
, a Norwegian coal freighter with an ice-breaking bow. The accident occurred at night. The two ships were head to head when a fog bank rolled onto the river and Storstad changed position, believing the Empress to be on the Storstads port side. This turned the freighter into the side of the larger ship, which was passing on the starboard side. The damage was catastrophic and the Empress sank in just 14 minutes with the loss of 1,012 people. Kendall was thrown from the bridge when the ship keeled over suddenly but survived; he was cleared of all charges in the disaster.
Action in World War I
Soon afterwards he was posted to Antwerp, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where he was soon in the news again. As the Germans invaded Belgium, the British Consulate in Antwerp was besieged by around 600 refugees. Kendall worked with the consul Sir Cecil Hertslet to formulate a plan to rescue them by using the Montrose to tow the , which was out of commission, out of the port and on to England.
Kendall then joined the crew of and served with the ship until 1918, during which time he was mentioned in despatches on several occasions. In March 1918 Calgarian was torpedoed off the Ulster coast by German submarine U-19 but Kendall survived again. He went on to serve as a King's Messenger before being appointed Commodore of Convoys. When the war ended he was appointed Marine Superintendent at Southampton by Canadian Pacific and remained there until he moved to a similar position in London in 1924. He died in an English nursing home in 1965 at the age of 91.
Descendants
His grandson is the Anglican priest and hymn writer Canon Michael SawardMichael Saward
Michael Saward is an Anglican priest and hymnist.Saward was born in Blackheath, south-east London, grew up in Petts Wood, was educated at Eltham College, and became a practising Christian in 1946. For his National Service, he served as a subaltern in the Royal West African Frontier Force in Accra,...
and his great grandchildren include F1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
journalist Joe Saward
Joe Saward
Joe Saward is a British Formula One journalist. He was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside Nigel Roebuck and remained...
and rape campaigner Jill Saward
Jill Saward
Jill Saward is best known as the victim of the 1986 Ealing Vicarage Rape, a crime that scandalized the UK and led indirectly to changes in the law. She was educated at Lady Margaret School...
Sources
- David Zeni Forgotten Empress: The Empress of Ireland Story, (Bookcraft, Midsomer Norton, Great Britain: Goose Lane Editions, c1998) ISBN 0-86492-248-5.
- James Croall Fourteen Minutes: The Last Voyage of the Empress of Ireland, (Briarcliff Manor, NY: Stein & Day, c1979), 237p., illus. ISBN 0-8128-2591-8.
- Tom Cullen The Mild Murderer: The True Story of the Dr. Crippen Case, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1977), 224p., illus. ISBN 0-395-25776-X.
- Jonathan Goodman (Compiler) The Crippen File, (London: Allison & Busby, 1985), 96p. illus. ISBN 0-85031-636-5 Pbk.
- Erik Larson Thunderstruck, (New York: Random House, Inc. - Three River Press, 2006), 463p. illus. ISBN 978-3-4000-8067-0.
- Joe SawardJoe SawardJoe Saward is a British Formula One journalist. He was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside Nigel Roebuck and remained...
"The Man who Caught Crippen" (Morienval Press, 2010), 242p. illus. ISBN 978-0955486814.