Kenneth Norman MacKenzie (26 November 1897 – 29 September 1951) was an officer in the merchant fleet known for his role in the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition, for which he was awarded a Polar Medal.

The Kingussie Public School would seem to have served the boys well and Kenneth MacKenzie learnt to play the bag pipes.

Shortly after, with his first class Marconi certificate, he was sailing to the far east as Chief Radio Officer in the Blue Funnel liner Titan.

Subsequently he sat his certificates as a Watch Officer and then as Master whilst sailing with Glasgow tramp ships and then with liners of the Ellerman City Line.

Whilst berthing in London's West India Docks, MacKenzie, as 2nd Officer of the City of Valencia on an inward voyage from South Africa, saw the wooden sailing ship Discovery.

Inquiring of the docking pilot, his enthusiasm was fired; immediately he went aboard, seeking employment for her forthcoming voyage of scientific research and exploration in Antarctica.

The ship sailed on and off the Antarctic coastline between 80 and 45 degrees east with the sighting of Kemp and Enderby Lands and the discovery and naming of Mac.

Subsequently MacKenzie was awarded the Polar Medal[7][8] inscribed "Antarctica 1929–1931", by King George V at Buckingham Palace, London.

Then, in 1933, MacKenzie was invited by the committee of the John Murray Expedition to take command[11] of the new research ship Mabahiss, an Egyptian naval vessel.

She was to conduct voyages of oceanographic research of the north western Indian Ocean with scientific staff from Cambridge and Cairo Universities.

Again MacKenzie was granted "leave of absence with full promotion" by the Ellerman City Line, whilst he was gazetted into the Egyptian Navy with the rank of "Bimbashi" (commander).

In 1935, he was promoted to Harbour Master and Marine Superintendent at Holyhead in Anglesey serving the express London to Dublin mail route.