大象传媒

We come now to the last part of this wartime escape from China - to Scotland, and on to Penrith. I also mention those of us in Trowbridge, Stockton-on-Tees, Abingdon and other parts of England who's lives have been so influenced by these events, and who are proud to be part of the larger Kennedy family.

More of this story can be read in "A Missionary Family's Life and Escape from China", submitted by Sarah Shires on 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire's CSV Action Desk. To access search under "Weightman".

At last on home soil - dangers of war now in the past, but the hardships were not yet over. Mary continues:

It was wonderful to be back in civilisation, but it was war-time, the weather was cold, and we had no heating in our room. The address we had been given was a centre set up by the local authority to accommodate refugees, so we were treated in a strange manner. One evening we were so cold and the chldren shivering, as we had insufficient clothing, so we ventured into the kitchen. The person happened to come in as we huddled over the small stove. "You ought not to be in here" he declared sharply. I cannot forget the humiliation I felt of being ordered out in a firm voice. In any case. after such an overwhelming and hard journey we were feeling pretty low in spirit.

Now we were able to contact our dear ones, and eventually managed to catch a train to Penrith whre my dear Aunt Maggie was waiting for us. She took us to her home and to dear Aunt Emma, where they made us feel very welcome and were kind to us all. Mother had not been well at Long Marton nearby, the village where she and Father now lived, and due to her health they had had to quickly buy a farm and house where she was happy. Unfortunately because of the war, they had been unable to have the house modernised. They would have welcomed us to stay there, but I could see that it would not have been easy for them, nor for us to make our home there for the two years furlough planned. We needed to be nearer a town and among people, or we couldn't be refreshed for going back to the mission field.

This really is the end the the war-time part of the story; any further memories are post-war. They lived for some some time in Penrith, but because of problems with Mary's health did not return to China. Andrew eventually served as Assistant Pastor at East London Tabernacle in Hackney - and it was here they had the joy of the arrival of their third daughter Rosalind. There followed many years service as Pastor to Churches at Fulham and Leith before retirement at Stockton-on-Tees. Even then almost to the time of his last illness Andrew continued with his ministry, preaching in churches as far afield as the Stockton area and in Trowbridge. Mary until the day she passed away was a wonderful mother and grandmother to an ever growing 'Kennedy' family.

Their memory lives on and the tombstone erected by the family at Stockton-on-Tees is a testimony to their Christian lives both in China and the United Kingdom.

IN
LOVING MEMORY OF
THE REVEREND
ANDREW KENNEDY
MISSIONARY IN CHINA
MINISTER IN
LONDON AND EDINBURGH
DIED 15th JAN 1983
AGED 73
ALSO HIS WIFE
MARY ETHEL
(NEE WEIGHTMAN)
DIED 23rd SEPT 1997
AGED 92
MOTHER, NURSE, MISSIONARY
THEY LED US TO JESUS

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