TURNER, Benjamin
| Service Number: | 365 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 September 1914, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hindmarsh, South Australia, 12 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Bellevue, Swan, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 20 September 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bellevue Roll of Honor, Midland WW1 Clock Tower & Town Hall Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 365, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 30 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW (forearm) | |
| 31 Jul 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, 2nd occasion - GSW (left ring finger) | |
| 8 Jul 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 365, 11th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road, 3rd occasion - Shell wound (legs) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
"BANDY" AND HIS BAYONET. AUSTRALIAN GIANTS FIGHT IN TRENCH.
Early in the Gallipoli adventure, the world was startled by the exploit of a super-human Australian who during a night attack bayoneted a nest of Turks and threw the men over his head like so many sheaves.
Correspondents all dwelt upon this story. English newspapers illustrators enlarged upon it, Ashmead Bartlett — Australia's Homer—sang of it. The trouble was that the story was not quite true. It had been slightly exaggerated: A big Australian had certainly fought with Turks and bayoneted them, too, but he didn't throw them over his shoulder. He didn't want to waste his energy. According to the mates of Private 'Bandy' Turner, of the historic 11th Battalion, who landed at Fremantle from a hospital ship this morning, 'Bandy' is the original of the Gallipoli Titan. 'Bandy' would not admit it when questioned. He chuckled, and in a rumbling, deep-throated way, said: "Not much. How could you expect a bloke to chuck Turks over his shoulder when the trenches are nine feet deep?" 'Bandy' is 6ft. high, and is an ex-pugilist. He comes from Bellevue. On the grounds that he fought at 13 stone in the ring, and that he is now in the heyday of his convalescence, he must tip the beam in the region of 15 stone. He is a big, black, hairy man, looking sombrely fierce in the moments of his contemplation, but when he told of his fight in the trenches, his face assumed quite a good-natured expression………
Extract from article in the Perth Daily News, Monday 13 December 1915.
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