Remembering my hero, Ludovic Kennedy

I was saddened today to hear that the broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy had died. 

Kennedy was one of my heroes: a legendary broadcaster who deserved enormous respect for his tireless battle against miscarriages of justice. 

His autobiography, On my way to the club, is an enthralling account of a fascinating life. It's full of marvellous stories, including the tale of how he met and married the famous dancer Moira Shearer. Shearer had recently shot to fame in the film The Red Shoes when he attended a fancy dress party which she happened to give out the prizes. He plucked up courage to ask her for a dance, amazing himself at the nerve of asking a famous dancer for a dance. She accepted, prompting even greater surprise by proving 'she couldn't dance for toffee', treading on his feet and almost tripping him up. 

More seriously, Kennedy described the unfair way his father was dismissed from the Royal Navy after being court-martialled for failing to crush a peacetime rebellion by Navy reservists in Newport, South Wales. Ludovic was just five at the time, but no doubt this early experience of injustice prompted his lifelong passion to right miscarriages of justice. His most famous book, 10 Rillington Place, helped secure a posthumous pardon for Timothy Evans, who had been hanged for the murder of his wife and baby daughter, despite his protests of innocence. Kennedy's campaign was a major influence in the fight to abolish the death penalty. 

Kennedy followed his father into the Royal Navy when war broke out. For the elder Kennedy, the coming of war represented a chance to put the Newport humiliation behind him. He returned to captain an old liner that had been turned into a makeshift warship to protect merchant ships. Captain Kennedy died a hero as his ship, HMS Rawalpindi was sunk in a brief battle with the German battleship Scharnhorst. In his autobiography, Kennedy describes hearing the news on the BBC news. The 20 year old Ludovic phoned the Admiralty for news of his father, only to be told, "The captain? No, I'm afraid he's gone". Ludovic went on to serve with distinction, taking part in the pursuit of the Bismarck and the Russian convoys. 

Our disgraced politicians could learn a lot from Ludovic Kennedy's distinguished life and passion for justice. 

Comments

[Chris]

Bravo!