General News
17 May, 2025
VETERANS' VOICES: Albert Edward Bennetts
Albert Edward Bennetts was one of nine children born to Richard and Mary (née Self) Bennetts in Aldinga in the district of Yankalilla, South Australia, in 1882.
His records show that on January 1916 when he enlisted in Melbourne he was a farmer living and working at Fairhaven, French Island via Stony Point.
French Island is on Western Port, just off the Mornington Peninsula.
Albert was appointed to 2nd Field Company Engineers, 16th Reinforcement, as a sapper and given the service number 7029.
After training at Seymour he embarked with his unit in Sydney and sailed on board the troop ship Makarini on April 1 1916.
After disembarking in early May he joined miscellaneous reinforcements at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt.
After leaving Egypt Albert proceeded to England, where he was admitted to Falmouth Military Hospital with a bout of German measles in May 1916.
He rejoined his unit at the Australian General Base Depot in England, but in July of the same year he was admitted to Folkestone Hospital with malaria.
Having been discharged from hospital, he rejoined his unit in England before proceeding to Etaples, France, on January 27 1917, where he was transferred to 4th Field Company Australian Engineers.
During World War I the engineers undertook a raft of tasks broadly divided into mobility, counter-mobility and construction as well as survey and mapping and specialised tunnelling and mining operations.
The field companies’ scope of works concentrated on the former rather than the latter.
They undertook a broad range of tasks including preparation and supervision of the construction of defensive and gun positions, excavation of trenches and dugouts, erection of wire and other obstacles, preparation of command posts, signalling and water supply, field engineering, road and bridge construction, and route maintenance.
They also undertook obstacle breaching and crossing.
For example, in the lead-up to the attack at Mont St Quentin the engineers were required to carry out two river crossing/bridging operations.
Engineers also had responsibility for signalling, although this function became more specialised as the war progressed, eventually leading to the creation of a separate signals corps.
Engineers – also known as sappers – were essential to the running of the war.
Without them, other branches of the Allied forces would have found it difficult to cross the muddy and shell-ravaged ground of the Western Front.
The 4th Field Company was formed in Egypt in August 1915 with men from 5th Brigade (New South Welshmen) and from reinforcements for 2nd Division.
In February 1916 they were reassigned to 4th Division.
Staying with 4th Field Company Australian Engineers in France, Albert was appointed to the rank of lance corporal in February 1918.
He was again promoted, this time to corporal, in April 1919.
He was involved with the unit moving between France and England before returning to Australia.
He left England on board the ship Beltana on July 19 1919.
After arriving back in Australia, he was officially discharged on September 2 1919.
Page 2 of the Horsham Times dated Friday December 9 1949 reported:
OBITUARY – BENNETTS:
Following a short illness the death occurred at Wembley Private Hospital on Thursday morning of Mr Albert Edward Bennetts of Roberts Avenue. Deceased, who was well known as a billiards marker at the Public Library, was aged 67 years. He was not married and was born in Normanville, SA. He had served with the First AIF in France. Brothers and sisters of deceased are Ernest, Richard, Frederick, James [dec], Alice (Mrs S Lemm, McKenzie Creek), Adeline (Mrs W Franklin, Horsham), Mary (Mrs Cheesman) [dec] and Annie (Mrs Bailey) [dec]. The funeral will take place today, leaving Weight and Sons chapel for the Horsham Cemetery after a service commencing at 1.15pm.
Albert was buried in the returned soldiers section of Horsham Cemetery and the plaque on his grave site reads:
In Loving Remembrance of
Albert Edward Bennetts
Died Dec. 1949 Age 67
Loved Brother of Alice Lemm
Abide with Thee
– KEN FLACK, Horsham RSL Military History and Heritage Centre
With thanks: Sally Bertram, RSL Military History Library. Contact Sally at sj.bertram@hotmail.com or call 0409 351 940.