Bombardier William Henry Bennett
3/4th Wessex Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Died in Military Service
Date of Birth: September 12,1884
Place of Birth: Teignmouth, Devon
Date of Death: Died 14 July 1919 aged 33.
Buried: Bramshott (St Mary) Churchyard, Aldershot, Hampshire
Awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
Bombardier William Henry Bennett age 33.
Born 12 September 1886 and baptised on 12 September at St. James’Church, Teignmouth, Devon, he was the son of James, a whitesmith, and Charlotte (Haydon) Bennett, 2 Regent Street.
William Henry Bennett and his family's WIKI Tree
In 1891 and 1901 he lived with his parents and siblings at 17 Somerset Place, Teignmouth.
Standing: Sidney Bennett, Alice Maud (Maud) Bennett, Charlotte Bennett & William Bennett
Sitting: George Cornelius Bennett, Albert James (Jimmy) Bennett & Samuel Charles (Charlie) Bennett,
(Florence Bennett is missing from the photo).
Photo downloaded from WIKITREE
By 1911 he was a boarder at Saxe Street, working as a labourer, both his parents were dead. William married Lilian Frances Dyer in 1912 and they were living at 15 Model Cottages; he was working with Teignmouth Urban District Council (UDC).
British, Italian, French officers as drivers from a Field Artillery School of Instruction. Earnest Brookes 1918 © IWM (Q 26648)
William enlisted with 218 (4th Wessex) Brigade as a territorial driver in 1910.
On 5 August 1914 he was embodied with 3/4th Wessex Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, service number 1575.
He was promoted to Bombardier on 5 August 1914.
Serving in the Home theatre, he was discharged at Exeter on 13 June 1916 as being not fit for further service due to fibroid disease of the lung (whilst serving in the Army, many men inhaled toxic gases that damaged their lungs, some died immeadiately).
As a result he was discharged from the army on June 13th, 1916, as physically unfit for service. He died from the disease at home on July 14th, 1919.
Buried in Teignmouth Cemetery on 17 July 1919. Grave Inscription reads: “Thy Will Be Done”.
