Iona Kennedy was born and raised in Douglastown, Gaspé, Quebec. As a bilingual individual, she always believed that being able to speak both French and English opened doors and opportunities for her. Her journey began with training at Bell Telephone in Montreal, where she honed her skills in communication.

When enlisting with the Army Corps during the Second World War, her skills transferred perfectly to work as a switchboard operator. Iona, who turned 101 in January, shared, “We were sworn not to tell what we were listening to.” Despite feeling that many of the calls were not particularly important, she remained steadfast in her duty, never divulging the information she handled.

During the war, Iona Kennedy served as a switchboard operator with the Army Corps, and later as an officer with the Military Police.

During her three years enlisted in the Army she also served with the Military Police, where she handled many of the challenges of female soldiers, like those who went AWOL. “I remember this dear little girl, she didn’t want to be in the army any more. She was living with her grandmother and when I came to get her she was insistent that she didn’t want to go back. Her grandmother said, ‘She seems like a good person, you should go with her.’ I took her back and she got her discharge the next day.”

Iona was recently featured in a special Times Colonist publication celebrating Canada’s veterans, highlighting the contributions of women who kept the home fires burning during the war.
Click here to read this special publication.

After the war, Iona met and married Morris, a Royal Canadian Air Force ground crew member who served in Alaska, testing planes and parachutes. They settled in Gaspé, Quebec, and raised four children. In the early 1990s, seeking to be closer to family, Iona and Morris moved to Victoria.

In 2018, Morris moved into Veterans Memorial Lodge, and Iona visited him regularly. The pandemic posed significant challenges, making it difficult for her to spend time with her husband one-on-one. In April 2021, at the age of 100, Morris passed away. Following this, Iona moved into the Lodge in the summer of 2022, continuing her life’s journey in the company of fellow veterans.

It is our honour to serve Iona while she lives at Veterans Memorial Lodge, a Broadmead Care Home. You can help veterans like Iona enjoy the comforts of home and simple pleasures by making a donation today

To obtain permission to use this story in your publication, please contact Connie Dunwoody, Communications Coordinator, at connie.dunwoody@broadmeadcare.com.