William Francis Bennett
Memorial: Warmley - Memorial Gardens - Stanley Road
Regiment: Herefordshire Regiment
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 14822
Parents: Charles Frederick and Caroline J Bennett
Marital status: Single
Home address: Petty France, Badminton. Lived: near the Post Office, Henbury, Bristol (1901 Census)
Pre-war occupation: Gardener Domestic
Date of birth: 1891
Date of death: 23/08/1918
Buried/Commemorated at: Foncquevilliers Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France
Age: 26
Further information:
William was born in Henbury in 1891, but his mother Caroline died in 1896 age 42. William's father Charles then married Ellen Hyde in 1902, and the family continued to live in Henbury until around 1908. After this date they moved to Petty France near Badminton.
Oddly there is a second baptism entry at St Mary's, Henbury for William on 28 February 1892 (details of his parents are the same on both entries). The address for Charles on the war pension card was still Petty France in 1919, but the address on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) was “Sunnyside” Tower Road, Warmley. This suggests Charles moved after William died, as the CWGC addresses were those provided in the early 1920's.
William served with the 1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment (attached from 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment) and Died of Wounds on 23/08/1918 - William was taken to the 14th Field Ambulance Hospital on the 23rd August with a leg wound, and died the same day.
William is also commemorated on the St Mary's Church Hemorial in Henbury.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Findmypast (Soldiers Died during the Great War, 1901 & 1911 Census etc), Researcher John Davis.