The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1620A) Private Gordon Miles Bennett, 49th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (1620A) Private Gordon Miles Bennett, 49th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

1620A Private Gordon Miles Bennett, 49th Battalion, AIF
Accidental: 11 November 1919

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Gordon Miles Bennett.

Gordon Bennett was born on 5 January 1894, the son of William and Annie Bennett, of Penguin, Tasmania. After his schooling in nearby Ulverston and the surrounding area, Bennett worked as a boundary rider on a local sheep and cattle station. He also gained valuable military experience by serving in a local militia unit.
In April 1916, Bennett travelled to Claremont, near Hobart, to enlist and serve in the Australian Imperial Force. After undergoing a period of training, Bennett sailed from Hobart for Europe and the war on the Western Front.

He joined his unit, the 49th Infantry Battalion, for the first time as they were behind the lines near the Somme River in France. Within days, he got his first taste of trench warfare when his unit moved to the front lines to the north east of Amiens.

He arrived at the front in time to endure the hardships of one of the coldest winters on record, and spent the early months of 1917 manning the trenches in bitter freezing conditions – and later pursuing German forces as they pulled back to a system of shortened and well-defended positions known as the Hindenburg Line.

On 7 June 1917 Bennett and the 49th Battalion participated in the Battle of Messines, near Ypres in Belgium. In this battle, the German lines were decimated by the early-morning ignition of a series of mines dug under German trenches. The attack was an allied success, but still cost nearly 6,800 Australian casualties.

Bennett’s battalion formed part of the later phase of the attack and moved into position during the afternoon. As they moved forward they faced German rifle, machine-gun and artillery fire, as well as misdirected artillery from their own guns.

During the action, Bennett received a severe gunshot wound to his right thigh and was evacuated to England. He did not rejoin his unit for three months.

On 19 October 1917, less than a month after returning to the trenches, the 49th Battalion was moving out of front line duties near Ypres when Bennett was again wounded in action, this time in his right elbow. For the second time he was evacuated from the lines for treatment. He rejoined his unit just before Christmas 1917 as it was training and resting behind the lines near the Somme River in France.

Bennett and the 49th Battalion spent the first months of 1918 manning and improving the trench systems around the French–Belgian border. In March they were rushed south with other Australian forces to help meet the threat posed by a powerful German attack towards Amiens.

On the night of 26/27 March, Bennett and his unit marched without sleep to get to position near Laviéville, on the main road between Albert and Amiens. On arrival they set upon digging new trenches and preparing for the coming onslaught, all the while coming under German rifle, machine-gun and artillery fire.

On 27 March, Bennett was wounded for the third time on the Western Front: his right hand was shattered by a shell. One report states that he received this injury while attempting to save a wounded comrade. Bennett’s wounds were so severe that he was taken to a nearby medical station where he had his right hand amputated at the forearm.
His war was over. He was evacuated to England, medically discharged, in July 1918 and returned to Australia for continued medical treatment.

Once in Australia he spent over a year in hospital in Melbourne, receiving care for continued problems related to his amputated arm.

On 6 November 1919, while swimming, Bennett dived into some shallow water and hit his head on the bottom. He was taken the Caulfield Military Hospital where medical examination showed that he had fractured several vertebrae and damaged his spinal cord. He was paralysed from the collarbone down.

In hospital, he remained conscious for a few days, but soon began to show signs of delirium.

On 11 November 1919, Armistice Day exactly one year after the end of the First World War, Gordon Bennett died in hospital, with his father by his side.

He was 25 years old.

He is buried in the Brighton General Cemetery in Melbourne.

Private Gordon Miles Bennett’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.
This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Gordon Miles Bennett, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section