Lance-Sergeant L. J. Bennett

Born in 1913, Lance-Sergeant Bennett was in civilian life a page 270linesman and cable jointer in the Post and Telegraph Department. He served with the territorial forces for two and a-half years with the 16th Battery, three months with the 11th Infantry Brigade Defence Platoon, and 13 months as linesman with 5th NZ Divisional Signals before being posted to X section in the Third Divisional Signals with the rank of corporal. He saw service in New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Treasury Islands and Nissan. Corporal Bennett had charge of a party comprising himself and two linesmen which landed with commanding officers of a reconnaissance party on Treasury Islands, being detailed for duty running lines between advanced report centre and AA batteries on Mono Island. Extracts from the report made by the commanding officer of the 29th Light AA Regiment on Corporal Bennett's work read as follows:—'He was employed immediately on running lines to 208th Battery, 214th Battery, and later to D battery of 198th (US) Regiment. He carried out this work with speed and determination, as well as thoroughness and a complete disregard of danger from enemy snipers or other sources. Lines once laid were broken continuously by enemy action and our own vehicular traffic. On subsequent days he was employed laying cable from Mono Island to Watson and Shirley Islands, and in further communications to the batteries. It is considered that it was due largely to the determination and enthusiasm of Corporal Bennett and to the thoroughness of his work that communications with AA units was as good as it proved to be at that stage.'