Henry gordon bennett biography for kids

Bennett had not passed through Tembilahan where Coates was. This was not true. Percival was subordinate to Wavell Surely Wavell should have taken some responsibility for the Surrender of Singapore? Early successes against the Italians turned into costly failures in Greece and Crete and Wavell lost the confidence of Churchill; their temperaments differed completely.

Wavell was sent to India as C-in-C. After Pearl Harbor Wavell was made Supreme Allied Commander for the SW Pacific and bore responsibility for the humiliating loss of Singapore he quickly recognized that it could not be held. As civil unrest and demands for independence grew, in Prime Minister Attlee replaced Wavell with Mountbatten who oversaw Partition.

Wavell died inafter a life of huge achievement tempered with many reverses, most of which were not of his making. The Wavell Report made scathing allegations against Australian Soildiers leading up to the Fall of Singapore, given to Churchill and released to the public 50 years later. These allegations included desertion, indiscipline and failure to send our required patrols.

A Staff Captain of the 22nd Australian Brigade was sent to round up these men and return them to their units. However, he could only find a few Australians. But after a check, Australian unit numbers were verified. It was clear at the time, that the original report made to the Allied High Command, was exaggerated. It should be noted that there was no effort on the part of the British to round up its men.

Groups of soldiers, including Australians, often drunk, were found roaming the streets and looting. In a few cases, it is reported that unidentified soldiers forced women and children off ships at gunpoint to take their places themselves. Other claims seem to be based more on hearsay and not evidence. As they were overran, they often had to make their way back through Japanese lines, or if they were lucky, find a boat.

At the outset of the Second World War, Bennett was junior only to Sir Brudenell White and Sir Thomas Glasgowand was in no doubt that, if an Australian expeditionary force were raised, he would be its commander. He was therefore furious when Major General Sir Thomas Blamey an ex-regular officer with whom he had clashed was appointed to head the 6th Division and later the Australian Imperial Force.

The oversight was due to his 'outspokenness' of Australian regular officers and that he would not be capable of serving as a subordinate to the British commander in Malaya. He was similarly overlooked for command of 7th Division. However, in Augusthe was appointed commander of the newly formed but ill-fated 8th Division and despatched to Malaya.

By all reports, when facing the Japanese army in Malaya from Decemberthe 8th Division fought bravely and with several successes. Nevertheless, it had to keep withdrawing as other units faltered and to avoid being surrounded as the Japanese advance overpowered. He handed over command of the 8th Division to Brigadier Cecil Callaghan and, with a small group of junior officers and European civilians escaped, arriving in Melbourne on 2nd March.

In the April, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and given command of III Corps in Perth; at that time an important post; but as the probability of a Japanese invasion of Australia faded, it became a 'backwater'. In MayBennett was told by Blamey that he would not be given another active command, and was transferred to the Reserve of Officers.

He was aged 57 years. Bennett's action in relinquishing his command and escaping Singapore that night has been debated ever since and has coloured his incredible achievements from the earlier war. On the release of henries gordon bennett biography for kids of war ina letter from Percival which accused Bennett of 'unlawfully vacating his command' was passed to Blamey.

In Februarythe 8th Division's headquarters, along with one of its brigades — the 22nd — was posted to Malaya after a request from the British for Australia to contribute troops to bolster the garrison there, amid growing concerns of war with the Japanese, and as part of the plans that had been formulated as the pre-war Singapore strategy.

Percivalwere devoid of harmony. In Decemberthe Japanese invasion of Malaya began. Bennett found himself in command of an ad hoc force known as "Westforce", [ 3 ] which included the Australian 27th Brigade — but not the 22nd, which had been transferred to III Indian Corps — and several Indian units. However, as the Japanese pushed the defenders back and advanced into Johorethe Australians fought several actions throughout January.

The most significant of those came around Gemas and Muarin which the Australians experienced some local success before being forced to withdraw to Singapore at the end of the month, along with the rest of the Allied forces. On Singapore, Bennett's command once again included the two Australian brigades — the 22nd and 27th — which were allocated the task of defending the north-western sector of the island.

On 8 Februarythe Japanese launched an assault across the Johore Strait, concentrating upon the sector held by Bennett's troops. The weight fell on the 22nd Brigade's area and, trying to fend off two Japanese divisions, they were eventually forced to withdraw towards the centre of the island. The 27th Brigade initially managed to hold its sector, but it was subjected to a follow-up assault on 10 February and, as the 22nd fell back, it was also forced to withdraw.

Heavy fighting followed over the next week, but eventually the Allied troops were pushed across the island to Singapore's urban areas. On 15 February, Percival began surrender negotiations with the Japanese. That night, Bennett decided that it was his duty to escape from Singapore rather than surrender. Consequently, he handed over command of the 8th Division to Brigadier Cecil Callaghan and, with a few junior officers and some local Europeans, Bennett commandeered a sampan and crossed the Strait of Malacca to the east coast of Sumatra.

There, they transferred to a launch in which they sailed up the Batang Hari Rivereventually proceeding by car to Padangon the west coast of Sumatra. The fall of Singapore — the largest capitulation in British military history [ 38 ] — shocked Australians, resulting in the capture of almost 15, Australians and many more Indian and British soldiers.

Prime Minister John Curtin issued a statement that read:. I desire to inform the nation that we are proud to pay tribute to the efficiency, gallantry and devotion of our forces throughout the struggle. We have expressed to Major General Bennett our confidence in him. His leadership and conduct were in complete conformity with his duty to the men under his command and to his country.

He remained with his men until the end, completed all formalities in connection with the surrender, and then took the opportunity and risk of escaping. However, within the military, particularly its senior echelons, Bennett was criticised for leaving his troops. At the time, it was an important post [ 42 ] but, byas the possibility of a Japanese invasion of Australia faded, it became a henry gordon bennett biography for kids.

Bennett was told by Blamey that he would not be given another active command, and Bennett was transferred to the Reserve of Officers in May He soon published his account of the Malayan campaign, Why Singapore Fellwhich was critical of Percival and other British officers, [ 3 ] although his opinions were later challenged by several Australian officers, including Callaghan.

Upon retirement from active service, Bennett began writing for a Sydney newspaper and was a correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. He remained concerned about his soldiers, though, and met the first group of recently freed 8th Division prisoners of war when they arrived in Sydney on the transport Manunda. For their part, the majority of his former soldiers welcomed him, and some even hung a sign over the side of the ship, which read: "We want Bennett".

They later put it in his car as a gesture of their support. The controversy over Bennett's actions became public in mid, when the war ended and Percival and Callaghan were released from Japanese captivity. Percival, who had never got on with Bennett, wrote a letter accusing him of relinquishing his command without permission. Callaghan delivered the letter to Blamey upon his release and Blamey convened a court of enquiry under Lieutenant General Leslie Morsheadand Major Generals Victor Stantke and George Woottenwhich found that Bennett was not justified in handing over his command, or in leaving Singapore.

Lodge wrote:. While never questioning Bennett's personal courage, Ligertwood concluded that his action had been unjustified. Bennett's stated reason for leaving Singapore was that he had learned how to defeat the Japanese but had been let down by British and Indian troops and he was obliged to communicate his knowledge to military authorities.

Yet, he had proved no more proficient than other commanders in Malaya and his tactics were outdated. Just as important to him was his wish to lead the Australian army, a consuming aspiration which had been sharpened by not being given an early command. He handed over command of the 8th Division to Brigadier Cecil Callaghan. With a few junior officers and some local Europeans, Bennett commandeered a sampan and crossed the Strait of Malacca to the east coast of Sumatrawhere they transferred to a launch in which they sailed up the Batang Hari River.

They then proceeded by car to Padangon the west coast of Sumatra. The fall of Singapore — the largest capitulation in British military history — shocked Australians, resulting in the capture of almost 15, Australians and many more Indian and British soldiers. Nevertheless, Bennett's escape was initially regarded as praiseworthy, at least publicly.

He remained with his men until the end, completed all formalities in connection with the surrender, and then took the opportunity and risk of escaping. Within the military, particularly its senior echelons, Bennett was criticised for leaving his troops. At the time, this was an important post, but byas the possibility of a Japanese invasion of Australia faded, it became a backwater.

Bennett was told by Blamey that he would not be given another active command, and he transferred to the Reserve of Officers in May He soon published his account of the Malayan campaign, Why Singapore Fellwhich was critical of Percival and other British officers, although his opinions were later challenged by several Australian officers, including Callaghan.

Blamey unsuccessfully tried to prevent the book's publication. Upon retirement from active service, Bennett began writing for a Sydney newspaper and as a correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. He remained concerned about his soldiers, though, and met the first group of recently freed 8th Division prisoners of war when they arrived in Sydney on the transport Manunda.

For their part, the majority of his former soldiers welcomed him, some even hung a sign over the side of the ship, which read: "We want Bennett". They later put it in his car as a gesture of their support. The controversy over Bennett's actions became public in mid, when the war ended and Percival and Callaghan were released from Japanese captivity.

Percival, who had never got on with Bennett, wrote a letter accusing him of relinquishing his command without permission. Callaghan delivered the letter to Blamey upon his release and Blamey convened a court of enquiry under Lieutenant General Leslie Morsheadand Major Generals Victor Stantke and George Wootten, which found that Bennett was not justified in handing over his command, or in leaving Singapore.

Veterans of the 8th Division, who were generally loyal to Bennett, protested against this finding. The Commission concluded that Bennett had disobeyed Percival's order to surrender. Lodge wrote:. While never questioning Bennett's personal courage, Ligertwood concluded that his action had been unjustified.

Henry gordon bennett biography for kids

Bennett's stated reason for leaving Singapore was that he had learned how to defeat the Japanese but had been let down by British and Indian troops and he was obliged to communicate his knowledge to military authorities. Yet, he had proved no more proficient than other commanders in Malaya and his tactics were outdated. Just as important to him was his wish to lead the Australian army, a consuming aspiration which had been sharpened by not being given an early command.

His prejudice against regular officers and his ambition clouded his professional judgement at the most important point in his career. When his most cherished goals were in tatters, he convinced himself that blame for his failure lay with others. InLieutenant Colonel Thomas Fry, a military lawyer, published the opinion: "The Royal Commissioner based his report on an interpretation of international law, and did not discuss General Bennett's action from the standpoint of Australian military law, which placed him under no inflexible obligation to remain on Singapore Island.

Bennett later became an orchardist, purchasing a property and living at Glenorie in the Hills district on Sydney's North Western fringe, until when, due to deteriorating health following a coronary occlusion, he sold his orchard and moved to Dural, New South Wales. He travelled to Singapore in with his wife to attend the opening of the Kranji War Memorial and then intravelled to Japan to meet with officers who had fought in Malaya.