John Compton BENNIER

Badge Number: S9965, Sub Branch: Semaphore
S9965

BENNIER, John Compton

Service Number: 242
Enlisted: 20 January 1916, Adelaide
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: Headquarters Staff
Born: Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia, 20 March 1889
Home Town: Mount Gambier, Mount Gambier, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Motorman
Died: Natural Causes, Repatriation Hospital, Springbank, South Australia, Australia, 15 March 1963, aged 73 years
Cemetery: Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia
RSL, Wall 114, Niche E008.
Memorials: Lower North Adelaide War Memorial WW1, Mount Gambier Knight & Cleve Pictorial Honour Rolls, North Adelaide Christ Church Honour Board
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World War 1 Service

20 Jan 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide
9 Jun 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''

9 Jun 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide
9 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1
25 Nov 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines
12 Sep 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres
8 Nov 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres
8 Nov 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 242, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux
1 Jul 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 242, Headquarters Staff
25 Sep 1919: Discharged AIF WW1

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Biography

Born  20 March 1889, near Mount Gambier, SA.
(SA Birth record 1842 - 1906 Book: 435 Page: 231 District: Gre.)

Father   Alfred August Bennier  (b. 7/8/1849 Morphettvale SA - d.1933 Mt Gambier SA )
Mother  Amelia (nee Jellett)  (b. 20/6/1846 Strut River SA - d. 26/9/1907, Mt Gambier SA)
married 23/2/1875, Mount Gambier, SA

Siblings:
William Henry Bennier  (b.15/11/1878 - d. Feb 1942 Lake Tce Cemetery, Mt Gambier, SA)
           1st m.  Elizabeth Eliza Ann Jellett (b.1875 - d. ____)
            1 child:  Olive Jellett Bennier (b.1899)

2nd m. Evelyn Terese Young (b. 11/9/1879 - d. May 1932 Lake Tce Cemetery, Mt Gambier, SA)
           10 children:
           Zoe Amelia (b. 1905 -d._____);
           Alfred John (b. 1906 - d._____);
           Frederick George Kenneth (b. 1908 - d. 1988 Mt Gambier);
           Stanley William John (b. 1909 - d. Dec 1997 Naracoorte);
           William Henry (b. 1910 - d._____);
           Verna Elsie (b. 1912 - m. James Francis STEWART 1933)
           Launa Jean (b. 1914 - m. Jack Tyson STEVENSON 1930)
           Ronald Keith (b. 1915 - d._____);  2 others living.

George Frederick Bennier  (b. 17/9/1882 Mt Gambier - d. _____)

Frank Edward Bennier  (b. Feb 1894 Mt Gambier - d. _____)

Mabel Maud Bennier  (b. 28/8/1886 Compton - d. 24/10/1890 Mt Gambier SA)

JOHN COMPTON Bennier (b. 20/3/1889 - 15/3/1962 Mt Gambier, SA)

Millie Bennier  (b. 1903 - d. 1923 Mt Gambier, SA)

Prior to enlisting lived in Kingston Street, North Adelaide, SA

Previous service:  77th Infantry

Described on enlisting as 26 years 10 months old; single, 5' 4 3/4" tall; 139; fresh complexion;
blue eyes; brown hair; Presbyterian.

19/1/1916          Enlisted in Adelaide
                          Completed medical - fit for service

27-31/1/1916    Private in C Company, 2nd Depot Battalion
1-16/2/1916      Private in D Company, 1st Depot Battalion
17/2-7/3/1916   Private in B Company, 1st Depot Battalion
7/3/1916            Commanding Officer appointed John to B Company, 43rd Battalion
                          Morphettville Camp

9/6/1919            Embarked from Adelaide on HMAT Afric A19
                          Private in B Company, 43rd Battalion

After landing briefly in Egypt, the 43rd Battalion went on to Britain for further training.

19/7/1916         Appointed to Lance Corporal

10/8/1916         Admitted to Larkhill Hospital, later discharged on same day

The battalion arrived on the Western Front in late December.

25/11/1916       Proceeded overseas to France, ex Southampton, England

The 43rd Battalion spent 1917 bogged in bloody trench warfare in Flanders.
In June the battalion took part in the battle of Messines.

4/7/1917          Sick to hospital - France
8/7/1917          Rejoined unit

27/7/1917        Sick to hospital - dermatitis, France
3/8/1917          Rejoined unit from hospital

12/9/1917        To be Corporal Vice Training Regiment

In October the 43rd Battalion took part in the Third Battle of Ypres.

8/11/1917        To be Sergeant Vice

11/1/1918        Sick to hospital - France
18/1/1918        Rejoined unit

The battalion spent much of 1918 fighting in the Somme valley.

In April they helped stop the German Spring offensive at Villers-Bretonneux.

18/5/1918        Detached to Bayonet School, in the field, France

11/6/1918        Rejoined 43rd Battalion

30/6/1918        Attached to 2nd Training Battalion, France
1/7/1918          Disembarked in Folkestone, England on duty from France
                        to report to Admin HQ, London
2/7/918            Attached to Perm. Cadre - 9th Training Battalion, from 43rd Battalion

15/7/1918        On Communications at School of Instructions, Devonport, England
                        9th Training Battalion

27/7/1918        Marched in from School of Instructions, Devonport

2-27/9/1918     On Communications at School of Instructions, Aldershot, England
                        ex 9th Training Battalion

11/12/1918      Transferred to HQ AIF, Dept in UK, Tidworth, England

31/12/1918      Married  Emily Elizabeth (nee Eames) of Ward End, England
                        at  St Margarets Church, Aston, Ward End, Warrick, England

5-14/3/1919     Granted leave

21/6/1919        Returned to Australia per SS Konigin Luise
11/8/1919        Disembarked into Adelaide, South Australia

25/9/1919        Discharged from service

Medals:
British War medal (13187); Victory Medal (13014).

13/12/1919     Had a son - Frank Bennier - later served in WWII - service #SX9117
                       Enlisted 10/7/1940 (2/27 Infantry), Retired from service 9/4/1944

15/3/1963       John passed away  (73 years old)
                       Repatriation Hospital, Springbank, SA
buried in:        Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena SA
                      RSL Section; Wall 114, Niche E008

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  26/10/2014.  Lest we forget.

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