Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Stanley Kent was born on July 31 1899 in Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales. Stanley’s parents were Ernest Robert Kent, who worked as a printer, and Zoe Mary Millicent, who was a compositor. He attended Bondi Public School for his early education, afterwards attending Sydney Technical High School for his high school education, where he was awarded a scholarship in 1912.

After graduating from Sydney Technical High School, Stanley was then employed as a clerk. Stanley was living in Waverley, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales. At the age of 19, Stanley was single and despite his very young age, he had already had some military service experience by serving with the 22nd Infantry. This previous military service experience provided him with discipline which helped prepare him for the Army.

 On the 8th of May 1918 Stanley enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. Stanley was assigned to the 34th Battalion and had the title of Private. Stanley embarked on a ship for overseas service on the 17th of July 1918. He embarked on a Sydney ship named ‘HMAT Borda A30’ which was a troopship that carried many Australian soldiers into the battlefield. He fell ill with influenza while at sea and was admitted to the ship's hospital. Due to illness he did not see any active service before the war's end. However, he was involved with the clean-up in France after the war until July 22, 1919, when Stanley returned to Australia.

 Stanley then carried on with his life, working as a clerk in Waverly, New South Wales. Stanley married Elizabeth Frances Spring in 1925. On the 3rd of April 1929, Stanley's wife gave birth to his fdaughter, Barbara Frances Kent. Stanley lived in New South Wales for the rest of his life and would later pass away on the 16th of June 1974 in Normanhurst.

Bibliography:

Google Documents provided by STHS
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous, (year unknown) NAA:B2688, Stanley Lawrence Kent
Google Documents provided by STHS
Anonymous, (year unknown) NAA:B2688, Stanley Lawrence Kent
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous, (year unknown) NAA:B2688, Stanley Lawrence Kent

References: 

Google Documents provided by STHS
"AWM Embarkation Roll: Stanley Laurence Bennett Kent." Australian War Memorial.
New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages. "Birth Registration of Stanley Laurence Bennett Kent, 31 July 1899, Paddington, Sydney, NSW.”
National Archives of Australia. "Service Record of Stanley Laurence Bennett Kent, Private, 34th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force."
"Death Notice: Stanley Laurence Bennett Kent, 16 June 1974, Normanhurst, New South Wales, Australia."

Marcus Tsaccounis - Sydney Technical High School - 2024

Lest we Forget

Kent Stanley Lawrence Bennett was born on the 31st of July, 1899 in Paddington, Sydney.[1] His father was Ernest Robert Kent, who was a printer, and his mother, Zoe Mary Millicent, who worked as a compositor.[1] Kent Stanley Lawrence Bennett had a total of 4 siblings. He was the eldest son of the family. His sisters consisted of Eleanor Mary Davey Kent, Florence Winifred Kent, who unfortunately passed away the year after she was born, and lastly Joyce Millicent Kent. His brother was Noel John Hamilton Kent.[1] Kent Stanley Lawrence Bennett attended Bondi Public School, where he earned praise for his excellent cricket skills.[1] He also represented NSW for the inter-state championships for cricket, where in the telegraph, he was stated “Stanley Kent, of Bondi School, are somewhat remarkable for his age and size”[1] After his early youth, Stanley then continued his education by enrolling in Sydney Technical High School by receiving a scholarship for his excellent sporting skills and academics in 1912.[2] 

Stanley then enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 8th of May, 1918. He was assigned to the 34th Battalion and was given the title of Private, where he was ordered to fight in the Western Front.[1] His unit name was called the 10th General Service (NSW) Reinforcements.[1] He left New South Wales on the 17th of July, 1918, where he embarked on a ship named HMAT Borda A30 [1] He fell ill with influenza while at sea on the way to war, where he was then later admitted to the ship's hospital. Because of his illness, he was unable to see any active service and was unable to contribute to the battle until the war ended. 

After the war Stanley worked as a clerk. He married Elizabeth Frances Spring in 1925. His wife then gave birth to a daughter named Barbara Frances Kent in 1929. He then moved to 6 Glover Street in Chatswood, New South Wales.[1] Later on, Stanley enlisted in the Australian Military Force on the 25th of April 1942, where he was given the position as gunner.[3] After the war, he was then discharged at the 8 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps on the 12th of September in 1945.[3] Lastly, Stanley carried on with his life, continuing working as a clerk. Unfortunately, his wife died in 1964.[1] He remarried in 1965 to Nina Ethel Heavey .[1] After this, Kent Stanley Lawrence passed away on the 16th of June, 1974 in Normanhurst, aged 74.[1]

Bibliography

Stanley Lawrence Bennett Kent on Google drive provided by STHS
Virtual War Memorial Australia
Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs

Endnotes

[1] - Unknown, Stanley Lawrence Bennett Kent Docx pages 1-4, Google drive archive

[2] - Marcus Tsaccounis, Virtual War Memorial Australia, Kent Stanley Lawrence Bennett, biography

[3] - Anonymous, Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs, DVA’s nominal rolls, Stanley Lawrence Bennet Kent