Joseph Patrick Kennedy was born in Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts on the 25th of July, 1915. His parents, Joseph and Rose, were also born in Massachusetts. Joseph had three younger brothers and four or five younger sisters. His father was a Banker in 1920, a Banker in 1930, and The United States Ambassador to England.

Before he went to Harvard University, Joseph P Kennedy attended Choate School, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938. In 1938-39 he served as private secretary in the American Embies for both the cities of London and Paris.

I was unable to find a 1940 census for Joseph.

Joseph enlisted at the Naval Aviation Cadet Selection Board (NACSB), Boston, Massachusetts. Joseph started elimination flight training at the U. S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base in Boston, on July 15, 1941. On August 7th, 1941, his appointment for Student Naval Aviation Pilot was revoked. He moved to Jacksonville Florida, in September. On October 15th, 1941, he became an aviation cadet in the United States Naval Reserve. On the 16th of October 1941, he went to the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. On the 16th of April 1942, Joseph became an Ensign and was assigned to the Volunteer Aviation Duties. Some of the jobs he did as an Ensign were, Assistant Gunnery Officer, and Buildings and Ground Officer. He was then ordered to go to Norfolk, Virginia, and reported to the commander of the Transition Training Squadron, Atlantic Fleet. He had also been ordered to fly in Patrol Squadron 84, but this was later revoked.

In January of 1943, he was transferred to Patrol Squadron 203, later Patrol Bombing Squadron 203 (VPB-203), still in Norfolk, after completing active duty in the Transition Training Squadron. Around April 6, he delivered an OS2U-2 Kingfisher to the Naval Air Station at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

On May 1st of 1943, Joseph was temporarily appointed the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Navy Reserves, by the President of the United States, which Joseph accepted. He then transferred to Bombing Squadron 110, Later changed to Patrol Bombing Squadron 110 (VPB-110), arriving on July 18, 1943. He then, around August 5th, 1943, went to San Diego to ferry obsolete and old planes for a while before returning to the Bombing Squadron. On December 28-29, he was part of a group that prepared planes for a special mission and attacked enemy units. In July of 1944, he was appointed, by the president, to the rank of Lieutenant, his service number being O-116667.

On August 12, 1944, Joseph went missing when the PB4Y-1, which was designated as BQ-8, he and his co-pilot, Wallford J. Wimpley, were flying mysteriously exploded near the City of Blydhburgh England. Their remains were never found. The PB4Y-1, they flew, was specially fitted to be used as a flying bomb, and was part of Project Anvil, also known as Special Unit One. The idea would be for the navy to fly these bombers full of explosives, using television to guide the bomber into their targets, which were V weapon locations, and explode on impact. The bombers were stripped of their guns and wiring used to control the gun turrets and filled with explosives. Two TVs were put into the plane. One was used to help the Radio Control Officer, who was in a PV1, fly the plane as it showed the plane’s instruments, while the other was mounted in the nose and enabled the Radio Control Officer to see where the plane was going or to aim the plane and make sure it hit the target. Joseph and Wallford’s jobs were to get the flying bomb into the air and arm the explosives. After that, they were to switch control of the airplane to the Radio Control Officer and bailout. In the group that the two were with were several other airplanes. This included a B-17 at the front, as a navigator, then BQ-8 followed behind it, flanked by two P-38s, who had the mission commanders in them, behind them are two PV1s, who carried two Radio Control officers and the equipment required for controlling the flying bomb, above them were two De Havilland Mosquitos, one checked the weather and the other recorded the mission, a b-17 brought up the rear of the formation, which acted as a signal relay, and above the flight was a squadron of P-51 Mustangs which were meant to protect the formation in the case of an enemy attack. As they continued the English channel, control of the plane was switched to the Radio Control Officer, who maneuvered the plane to make sure everything worked. It wasn't long after that that the connection with the plane was suddenly cut off and BQ-8 exploded. The explosion was so intense that it knocked down trees and damaged some buildings that were about 16 miles away. The explosion damaged some of the aircraft in the group and knocked others all over the place. A possible explanation is that one of the arming switches was faulty and that it caused one of the detonators to detonate prematurely, which caused a chain explosion to happen, however, upon investigation, the arming switches had not been touched. Additionally, the plane and its equipment had been checked before take-off and were deemed safe. The debris field covered five square miles and the largest piece of debris was small. After this failure, the navy would try again before scrapping the project.

Joseph could have gone to the US but decided to go on a special mission that ended his life.

Joseph Kennedy posthumously received the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart Medal, the Air Medal, the American Defence Medal, the WW2 Victory Medal, and, of course, a Gold Star. He did not receive the Medal of Honor as the Board of Review for Decorations and Medals did not believe that his act was heroic enough to qualify him for the reward and decided that the Navy Cross was sufficient enough.

His citation for his Navy Cross states,

“For extraordinary heroism and courage in aerial flight as pilot of a United States Liberator bomber on August 12, 1944. Well knowing the extreme dangers involved and totally unconcerned for his own safety, Lieutenant Kennedy unhesitatingly volunteered to conduct an exceptionally hazardous and special operational mission. Intrepid and daring in his tactics and with unwavering confidence of the vital importance of his task, he willingly risked his life in the supreme measure of service and, by his great personnel valor and fortitude in carrying out a perilous undertaking, sustained and enhanced the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

The citation for his Air Medal stats as follows,

“For meritorious achievement in aerial flight as a pilot of a PB4T-1 attached to Patrol Bombing Squadron one hundred ten during an anti-submarine patrol in the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel, and North Atlantic Area. Participating in numerous flights under extremely hazardous conditions, Lieutenant Kennedy carried out his missions with determined aggressiveness and, by his cool courage and skilled airmanship, was in a large measure responsible for the splendid teamwork of his aircrewmen towards neutralizing the U-boat menace in these areas. His daring leadership and gallant devotion to duty throughout these operations and his effective efforts in furnishing air support for the invasion armada reflect the highest credit upon Lieutenant Kennedy and the United States Naval Service.”

The Citation for his Gold Star states as follows,

“For meritorious achievement in aerial flight as a pilot of a United States Naval Patrol Bomber in anti-submarine patrol in the Bay of Biscay and the western approaches to the United Kingdom from October 22, 1943, to June 16, 1944. Completing his tenth mission during this period, Lieutenant Kennedy contributed materially to the success of his squadron. His courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Later on, a US destroyer was named after him and a picture and his medals’ citations were requested to be put on the ship’s Quarterdeck.

Joseph Kennedy’s name is on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridgeshire, England. A cenotaph for Joseph is located at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Joseph’s Brothers

John “Jack” Kennedy was a lieutenant in the navy. He was in command of PT-109, which was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and sank. He rescued 13 of his crew from drowning. He swam to a nearby island where he met some local fishermen. He carved a message in a Coconut and gave it to them, who gave it to the Allies, and he and his crew were saved. In 1960, he was elected as the 35th US President. In 1963, he was assassinated in Texas. Robert “Bobby” Francis Kennedy was an Attorney General during JFK’s administration, after John was assassinated, he stayed as an Attorney General before resigning in 1964. He became a senator in 1965. In 1968, he ran for president and was later assassinated. Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy served in the Army during the Korean War. He was a senator for longer than his brothers, supported Obama in 2008, and died in 2009 from a brain tumor.

Sources:

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/62742323/person/250144491708/facts?_phsrc=FTy3701&_phstart=successSource

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/107148395:6061?tid=&pid=&queryId=4c5f32559e171785f924ba1702268066&_phsrc=FTy3710&_phstart=successSource

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/46829419:6224?ssrc=pt&tid=62742323&pid=250144489213

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/62742323/person/250144491665/facts

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99363280/joseph-patrick-kennedy

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55852104/joseph-patrick-kennedy

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/574/john-fitzgerald-kennedy

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/573/robert-francis-kennedy

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41159008/ted-kennedy

Joseph Kennedy’s Official Documents

Thank you Lieutenant Patrick Kennedy for your service and your sacrifice, you will not be forgotten.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

STARSProject/Massachusetts/Plymouth

Joseph P Kennedy, Jr