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This story was gathered and submitted to the WW2 Peoples war by Oliver Murphy

Joseph Francis Patrick John McKenna
Pilot Officer, 76 Squadron,
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Died 24 July 1941

Joseph Francis McKenna was born on 3 May 1917. He was one of five brothers who attended Belvedere College, Dublin. They were the sons of Mr and Mrs Charles McKenna who lived at ‘Balbrigh’, Robinstown, Navan. Joseph Francis was known as ‘Joffre’. He came to Belvedere from St Patrick’s National School, Navan in September 1932. While he and brothers attended Belvedere, they stayed at their aunt’s house (Seapark Cottage, Malahide).

In 1933, when he was still only in third year, Joseph was a plucky enough rugby player to work his way onto the Senior Third XV. He left Belvedere after fourth year in 1934 and went to England.

In England, he worked for Pye Radio Limited until the war broke out in 1939. As he was already in the RAF reserve, he was immediately called up and soon became a Pilot Officer. He apparently showed as a pilot the same characteristics he had shown on the rugby pitches of Dublin. He married; he and his wife Dorothy had one child.

In 1941 he was engaged in air operations not far from Nantes in France. On Thursday 24 July 1941, he was reported missing. It was not until the following November that his brother Charles, a barrister-at-law, received official notice of his death and learnt that Joseph had been buried in France.

Joseph Francis McKenna was 24 years old at the time of his death. He is buried in grave number 1 AB 18 at Pornic War Cemetery, Loire-Atlantique, about fifty kilometres from Nantes in France.
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