BENTLEY, George Alfred
| Service Number: | 1722 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Flemington, New South Wales, Australia, 28 April 1886 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Homebush Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Building contractor |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 4 February 1917, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs, Picardie Plot IV, Row H, Grave No. 5 |
| Memorials: | Sutherland WW1 Memorial Wall |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1722, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 1915: | Involvement Private, 1722, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Mar 1915: | Embarked Private, 1722, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Sydney | |
| 4 Feb 1917: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Second Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-02-04 |
Help us honour George Alfred Bentley's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Second Lieutenant Bentley died on the night of 4-5 February, during the 13th Battalion’s attack on Stormy Trench, near Gueudecourt. Over almost 24 hours they repelled counter-attacks, fought in merciless close quarter battles and suffered under intense shell-fire. Some 230 members of the Battalion were killed in the fight and Harry Murray won the Victoria Cross.
Originally buried in Switch Trench Cemetery near Flers, Arthur’s remains were reinterred in the Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs during 1920.
His headstone reads “YOUR MEMORY LINGERS SADLY MISSED BY HIS WIFE AND LITTLE DAUGHTER”
Arthur had swerved for 6 years in the Citizens Forces and reached the rank of Sergeant. He enlisted in March 1915 as a Private and served on Gallipoli from late May 1915. Apart from suffering from bruises and contusions during his service at Gallipoli, he developed symptoms of TB and was returned to Australia during October 1915. He embarked again as a Second Lieutenant during late 1916 and only joined the Battalion in France six days before he was killed.
He was the husband of Maude Bentley and the father of Kathleen Maude Bentley of Waverly, NSW, when he died.
His brother 1716 Pte. Arthur Bentley 13th Battalion had enlisted at the same time and was awarded a Military Medal for carrying wounded men to safety at Pozieres in 1916. Arthur was returned to Australia during early 1917.
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