Flight Sergeant Harry Bennett
Henry Thomas Leonard Bennett came from Dunedin, New Zealand, to his family and friends he would become known as 'Harry'. A young man who answered the call to arms and joined the RAF. Eventually he would be stationed at RAF Moreton Valence in Gloucestershire. This airfield was the home of No6 AOS (Air Observer School), Flight Sergeant 'Harry' Bennett's job was to take young recruits up in his unarmed Avro Anson and teach them the rudiments of navigation and stop them 'from becoming completely lost'.
Here Harry stands by the Sea and in the second photo he is proudly wearing his Pipe Band uniform
Following his death a number of personal belongings were returned to the family. For me the most moving, and staggering, after all these years, is his initialed Silver Cigarette box, complete with the cigarettes he never got to light. The family believe that this was given to Harry on his 21st Birthday, he took it everywhere with him and had it on him the night he was killed.
Harry's watch, and I guess we are all asking the same question at this point. Harry was a bit of an amateur magician and one of his favourite 'tricks' was walking his 'invisible dog' on its magic lead.
Harry's Memorial Cross, still in the family's possession.
Harry Bennett is buried in the Cambridge City Cemetery near Fen Ditton, there is a large CWGC area which is beautifully kept. There he lies amongst rows of other British and Commonwealth Airmen. Michele and I paid his grave a visit a couple of years ago and shared the pictures and video of the cemetery so his sisters back in New Zealand could see his final resting place for the first time. The following year his niece Shelley Walker and her husband Garry came over to pay their respects.
An Avro Anson from the same Squadron as Harry's and the graves of the two German airmen who shot him and his crew down. A few nights later they lost their lives over the skies of Warwickshire when an Airspeed Oxford collided with their ME410 Hornet, it was never known if the pilot of the Oxford deliberately rammed the ME410 to stop his attack on the circling aircraft over the airfield. Delp and Wenning are buried in Cannock Chase.
