Donald Kennedy, my grandfather, was a very wise old chap. He spoke little about the war. I do recall, however, he had fond memories of a cat he had rescued which he cared for in the trenches until it touched a hot shell fragment and bolted away.

When we would stay at his house, we would be woken in the night by the sounds of his recurring nightmares. Vera, my grandmother would then gently remind him he was home in NZ and the war was over. These nightmares continued till he died.

I began to understand the nightmares when I read the account of the battle he had been in which led to his being awarded the DSO and one of his Sergeants the VC. I have visited the site of the battle and its nearby cemetery with its fern leaf headstones. His companions lie there so far from home.

Donald Kennedy, my grandfather, father of my Lindsay Kennedy (my mother). A wise, gentle man with a delightful sense of humour. In his 90's he was still active and used to go for regular walks, grow vegetables and maintained a beautiful garden. Lived in Takapuna, Auckland in his later years with his wife, Vera. I miss you and am immensely proud to be related to you.