BENNET, Ralph William
| Service Number: | 1622 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 28th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Coburg, Victoria, Australia, June 1896 |
| Home Town: | East Perth, Perth Water, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Thomas St State School, Perth, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Coach painter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval Plot 4, Row B, Grave 19. (Remains discovered 1937) , London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 12 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1622, 28th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1622, 28th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1622, 28th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Fremantle |
Help us honour Ralph William Bennet's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
His parents were James and Mary Ann Bennet of 110 Summers Street, East Perth, Western Australia. Ralph served at Gallipoli for a few months. He died when a shell hit the trench he was in near Flers on the 5 November 1916. He and another soldier were reported to have been killed and buried by the explosion.
In his Red Cross file the other soldier was reported to be "a new man, who had just joined up. We started to dig them out, but on finding they were dead, we left them where they were, the enemy's artillery being very fierce at the time."
During 1937 Ralph William Bennet's remains were discovered in the one battlefield grave with 1656 James Hedley 28th Battalion AIF. Both were identified by their discs. James Hedley had only just transferred to the 28th Battalion from the 44th Battalion.
Ralph's disc was sent to Australia for return to his family and both men were reinterred in the London Cemetery and Extension.
Ralph's older brother 1587 James Francis Bennet, 16th Battalion AIF, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery later in the war.
Click images to start slideshow.