2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
attached to 17th Indian Infantry (The Loyal Regiment)
Theodore John Bennett was born at Cairncross, Stroud on 1 November 1893, the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Charles Bennett of Frome Park Road, Stroud.
He was educated at Marling School and took up employment with Messrs Randell & Payne, Chartered Accountants at Stroud. A keen sportsman, he played football for Woodchester and Stroud and cricket for his school and Stroud. He was also a musician, playing both the violin and cello.
After enlisting on 7 December 1914 he was posted to the 18th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers but was soon awarded an Army Cadetship, prior to commissioning into the Worcestershire Regiment on 19 May 1915. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion and joined them in the field on 6 October. On 13 December he was attached to the recently formed 5 Company Machine Gun Corps (MGC) and saw action on the Somme. In July 1916 he was promoted to Lieutenant and on 23 March 1917 was posted to the MGC Training Centre at Grantham.
Later in 1917 he was posted to 162 Company MGC, based in Egypt and in October went on attachment to the 17th Indian Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) – 53 Division (XX Corps), which played a significant role fighting the Turks in Palestine. As an Acting Captain he was killed in action on 7 September 1918 fighting in the Judean Hills, 20 miles south east of Nablus. He now lies in Jerusalem War Cemetery.
Theodore’s brother Captain Eugene Paul Bennett was awarded the VC and MC and two other brothers died during the war, one from illness and another in a motor cycle accident.