Leading Stoker
William
BENNETT
Royal Navy
27
William Bennett was born on 24 September 1888 in Borough Green, Kent. He joined the Royal Navy on 15 October 1906 on a five year engagement but transferred to a Continuous Service engagement on 17 July 1911. He served in HMS ACHERON, BACCHANTE, PEMBROKE and THAMES. It is not clear when he joined submarines, or which boats he served in, however he was drafted to HMS CYCLOPS, DOLPHIN and MAIDSTONE at various times. He may have joined HMS E24 on 20 January 1916.
He lost his life when HMS E24 was sunk, most probably by a German mine.
William Bennett was the husband of Annie Charlotte Rose Bennett (née Hawkins), of 24, Chickerell Rd., Weymouth, Dorset, and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial on Panel 17 and he may be among the remains of 25 unidentified crew who were recovered from the wreck in 1973 and buried in Hamburg Cemetery.
One Response
I have a funeral card for William Bennett, Leading Stoker on HM Submarine E24
The card records his age at death as being 26 and that he died on April 3rd 1916.
I found the funeral card amongst the papers for my late grandmother Mary Hoskins (née Cox) and grandfather William Hoskins. Grandparents live in Weymouth where my grandfather was born in 1892 and my grandmother was reportedly born in Ireland.
I am interested to find out about William Bennett as I don’t know whether or not he was a friend or relative.