Pte. Arthur James "Little Benny" Bennett
British Army 8th Army
Arthur Bennett was my uncle. He volunteered to join the Army in WW11. He was a driverand mechanic and served in the 78th Division of the 8th Army 1942-1946, but he was often moved about wherever troops were needed.
When meeting some of his regiment for the first time at the station, all standing at 6ft, they were far taller than him, hence they nicknamed him ‘Little Benny’. He was sent to El Alamein where, at just 19, he was shot through the arm. Only a whistle recalling the enemy at the last minute saved him from being killed or captured while he was trying to hide in the undergrowth. He served with the Royal Warwicks, Ox & Bucks, Essex Regiment and RAOC.
He was recalled to the Army as a reservist and sailed to Korea in 1951. He served in the No. 1 Commomwealth Division and survived some of the heaviest and ferocious fighting including the Battle of the Imdin River returning home in 1953 on the troopship Georgic which docked in Liverpool.
Arthur passed away 28th February 2018 aged 93. A quiet, kind, humorous man, we think he had a lot of untold stories.
