Current Information:

Age-20

56, St Stephen's Avenue, Shepherd's Bush

Bethune Town Cemetery, France

The 18th London (London Irish) battalion had arrived in France in March 1915 to join 141 Brigade of 47th Division. After the necessary period of trench training, 47th Division took over the line around Festubert in northern France, where they stayed for most of the summer. On the evening of 1st May, 1915, the battalion moved into the front line at Festubert where they remained until relieved on 5th May when they moved back to billets in Gorre. John Bennett died of wounds on 4th May but the battalion diary provides no further information concerning his death. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.