Rowland Kenney facts for kids

Rowland Kenney (born 1882, died 1961) was a British diplomat, writer, and editor. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in another country. Kenney was also known for directing British propaganda in Norway and other Scandinavian countries during both World War I and World War II. Propaganda is information, often biased, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

Early Life and Family

Rowland Kenney was born on December 28, 1882, in a place called Springhead, which is now part of Oldham, England. His father, Horatio Nelson Kenney, worked in a cotton mill, and his mother was Ann Wood. Rowland was one of twelve children, and eleven of them grew up.

His sisters were famous for being suffragettes, which means they fought for women's right to vote. Some of his sisters included Annie Kenney, Nell Kenney, Kitty Kenney, Jenny Kenney, and Jessie Kenney. Their parents encouraged all their children to read, discuss ideas, and learn about socialism, which is a political and economic idea about fairness and equality.

From Worker to Journalist

When he was young, Rowland Kenney worked many different manual jobs. Later, he became a salesman. He joined unions like the Shop Assistants' Union and the Independent Labour Party, which helped workers.

His involvement in these groups led him to become a journalist. He later became an editor for a newspaper called the Daily Herald. For a short time, he was also a publisher for a magazine called Vanity Fair.

World War I and Norway

In 1911, Kenney married Asta Ingrid Brockdorff, who was from Denmark and Norway. They spent some time in Norway before World War I began.

In 1916, during the war, Kenney was asked by the Foreign Office to check on the propaganda situation in Norway. The Foreign Office is the part of the British government that deals with other countries. After he wrote a report, Kenney was offered a job as a press attaché in the British Legation in Norway's capital, Christiania (now Oslo). A press attaché is a diplomat who handles media and public relations.

As a press attaché, Kenney talked to Norwegian editors and publishers. He pretended to be a reporter for Reuters, a news agency, and used this cover to give British propaganda to Norwegian media. He also helped change the Norwegian Telegram Bureau (NTB) to make it less influenced by Germany.

After the First World War

After World War I ended, Kenney continued to work for the Foreign Office. He traveled to Poland to understand the political situation there and reported his findings to the British team at the Treaty of Versailles, which was a peace treaty signed after the war.

In 1918, on his way back to England from Versailles, Kenney was in a plane crash. He survived but had lasting injuries. During the years between the two World Wars, he kept working for government groups connected to the Foreign Office. He was very important in setting up the British Council, an organization that promotes British culture and education around the world. In 1939, he wrote his autobiography, a book about his own life, called Westering.

World War II and Escape

As World War II was about to start in 1939, Kenney was sent back to Oslo, Norway, again as a press attaché. His job was similar to his role in World War I: to share Allied news and information. However, his mission was cut short when Germany invaded Norway in April 1940.

Kenney had to flee Oslo with a small group of British diplomats and intelligence officers, including Frank Foley and Margaret Reid. They escaped to a place called Åndalsnes. During this time, Kenney connected with Norwegian officials who wanted to set up Allied news services in Norway. He also met a Norwegian officer named Martin Linge, who later became a leader in the Norwegian resistance movement against the Germans.

After being evacuated to Great Britain, Kenney kept working to provide Norway and other Scandinavian countries with news and propaganda from the Allied side. In 1942, he was temporarily assigned to the Norwegian government-in-exile, which was the Norwegian government operating from outside Norway during the occupation. He was later given the Order of St. Olav, a special award from Norway, for his important work.

Later Life

After World War II, Kenney briefly returned to Norway as a diplomat. He also published a book called The Northern Tangle, which was a history of Scandinavia.

Rowland Kenney passed away in 1961. He was survived by his only child, Kit Kenney.

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  Rowland Kenney