BENNETT, HARRY CLIFFORD

Harry’s father was Mr. T. W. Bennett, the head of the firm of Messrs. Dunn, Bennett and Company, and chairman of the Royal Victoria Pottery at Burslem, Staffordshire. His parents lived at Ravenscliff, First Avenue, Porthill, Staffordshire.

Harry was born at Burslem and educated at Thomas Alleyne’s Grammar School, Uttoxeter and Newcastle High School.

Before the war Harry was the London Representative of his father’s firm. He gave up business at the beginning of the war to enlist.

Harry enlisted on 28th August 1914, less than three weeks after war had been declared. He was 28 years and 9 months old and Harry modestly gave his occupation as ‘Pottery Manufacturer’.

The records from Harry’s Army Medical (conducted at Hanley) tell us that he was 5ft 6 or 6.5 inches tall, weighed 160lbs or 11 stone 6 lbs and had a chest measurement of 36-38.5 inches. He had a ‘dark’ complexion, brown eyes, dark brown hair and gave his religion as Wesleyan.

He was passed Fit for the Territorial Force and served as a Private, number 2717 in the 1st/5th battalion Staffordshire Regiment.

Harry’s Pension Records enable us to construct the sequence of main events in his Army career as follows:

According to the Uttoxeter Advertiser he was killed in the trenches in Flanders at the age of 29 on 3rd August 1915. The War Diary for his battalion confirms this and provides the following details that show that he died at Hill 60 in the Ypres salient:

On 23rd September 1915 Harry’s father wrote the following letter to the Officer in Charge of Records, Territorial Force, Lichfield:

Sir,

Will you please inform me if you have yet received the effects belonging to my son Pte HC Bennett No 2717 of the 1/5th North Staffs Regiment who was killed on Aug 2/15 near Ypres.

I cannot prove his Estate until I know if he left his Will, which would be amongst his effects.

Reply will oblige.

Yours

TW Bennett

Father of above

On 4th October 1915 Harry’s father wrote the following letter to his Regiment asking for his personal effects and Will:

Dear Sir

I wrote you about 3 weeks ago enquiring if the effects of my son (who was Killed in Action Aug 2/15) had been received.

I am still without any reply and an unable to prove his will, which will probably be found (the ‘Small’ book) amongst his effects.

I must ask you to be good enough to give me a reply.

Yours

TW Bennett

The following reply was forthcoming on 5th October 1915:

Dear Sir,

In reply to your communication I beg to inform you that the soldiers ‘Small Book’ is not applicable to the Territorial Force. However, if you refer to the Army Book 64 (Pay Book) it is the practice to extract therefrom all Wills f deceased soldiers and to forward same to the War Office. This is done at the Base.

All Pay Books received in this Office are forwarded by me to the Regimental Paymaster, Lichfield, for custody.

Effects of deceased soldiers are only despatched from this office upon instructions from the War Office.

Yours faithfully

 

On 16th December the Office wrote to Harry’s father indicating that they hoped to forward his effects to him in the course of a few days.

On 31st December 1915 the following personal effects were returned to his parents:

Coin, Disc, metal watch (broken), air pillow, knife, fork, spoon, copper hammer, jack knife, purse, sun curtain, comb, stamp case, 4 buttons, prayer book, health insurance card, card of buttons, packet of  letters, photos, cards

Harry’s father acknowledged receipt on 5th January 1916.

The Uttoxeter Advertiser’s obituary for H.S. Bennett stated that he was an old Uttoxeter Grammar School boy, who would be remembered by many in Uttoxeter as a fine cricketer. Presumably the ‘H.S’ was a typographical error for ‘H C’.

Harry and is buried in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, Grave I. K. 6:

Hill 60 today still showing the scars of heavy artillery and the remains of Pill Boxes

This cemetery is in Zillebeke, which is in the Ypres salient. Ernest Carr is buried in the same cemetery and served in the same Regiment and battalion. As Ernest was killed at Hill 60 on the 2nd of September 1915, less than a month after Harry died, it is possible that Harry died in the preparatory stages of the battle for Hill 60. Interestingly, one source gives this as a fact, but cites no direct sources for its information.

For the purpose of his pension, Harry was credited with 189 days’ Home Service (mainland Britain) and 152 days service abroad, making a total of 341 days in the Army.

On 28th April 1919 Harry’s father completed the form that listed all of Harry’s surviving immediate family members in order to claim his memorial plaque and scroll.

Harry was also awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Harry Bennett does not appear on the Uttoxeter town memorial but, as an old boy of the school  his name appears on the Thomas Alleyne’s School memorial.

Photo: courtesy of Common Wealth War Garves Commission