Not Forgotten,4732 Acting Corporal John Livingstone BENNETT, 11 Battalion AIF, World War 1

Private John Bennett, a draper in Northam, was born in Rosebury in South Australia, but enlisted on 30 September the son of Hugh and Agnes Drysdale Bennett of Cowcowing, educated in Northam. He enlisted in Northam in the 11th Battalion. John Bennett was promoted to Acting Corporal on 16 December 1915, reverting to a private on 26 April 1917. On 1 April 1916 Bennett embarked from Fremantle on HMAT A38 Ulysses, proceeding on to Marseilles and taken on strength in the 51st Battalion in France on 23 July 1916.

The 51st Battalion was raised in Egypt in the first week of March 1916, as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Approximately half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 11th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 11th, the 51st was predominantly composed of men from Western Australia. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the newly formed 4th Australian Division. Arriving in France on 12 June 1916, the 51st moved into the trenches of the Western Front within a fortnight, the 51st fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm in August and September, and suffered casualties equivalent to a third of its strength in both of the attacks it launched on 14 August and 3 September.

Private Bennett was killed in action on 15 August 1916 in the vicinity of Mouquet Farm near Mancourt in France and has no known grave and is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux. Base Records wrote to the family of Private Bennett asking if they had any information through letters of the circumstances or location of his death as they were unable to obtain any trace of his last resting place. Hugh Bennett replied that his son had written on 10 August 1916 saying he has not been in any engagement but was in the trenches and expected a call to the front on the 15 of the month. A young soldier friend from John’s battalion told Hugh Bennett that John had been last seen going over the parapet and the friend thought he had been blown to pieces or buried in a shell hole.

Private Bennett was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.