Gordon Bennett

Who was Gordon Bennett?

Lieutenant General Henry Gordon Bennett CB, CMG, DSO, VD, Australian soldier, served in both World War I and World War II. Despite highly decorated achievements during World War I, during which he commanded at both battalion and brigade level and became the youngest general in the Australian Army, Bennett is best remembered for his role in the Fall of Singapore in the Pacific War when in early 1942, as commander of the 8th Division, he escaped while his men became prisoners of the Japanese. After this, Bennett's military career waned and although he rose to command a corps, he never commanded troops in battle again. In 1945, his escape caused controversy and resulted in a Royal Commission, which found that he had been unjustified in relinquishing his command.

A citizen soldier, before World War I Bennett had worked in the insurance industry and at the conclusion of hostilities pursued his commercial interests while continuing to serve in the military in a part-time capacity, commanding at brigade and divisional level. He retired from the military after World War II and turned to farming in the Blue Mountains. He remained active in the world of business and as military commentator, before dying at the age of 75.