Gordon Bennett (general)

Lieutenant General Henry Gordon Bennett, CB, CMG, DSO, VD (15 April 1887 – 1 August 1962) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II.

Despite highly decorated achievements during World War I, during which he commanded at both battalion and brigade level and became the youngest general in the Australian Army, Bennett is best known for his role in the Fall of Singapore in February 1942. As commander of the 8th Australian Division, he chose to escape to Sumatra after the British-led garrison surrendered to the Japanese. His soldiers became prisoners of war of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Bennett claimed he left in order to avoid capture and report directly to Australian authorities, believing he could better serve the war effort from outside captivity.

His decision was met with widespread criticism. Many viewed his departure as a breach of military responsibility and abandonment of his men. In 1945, both a Royal Commission and a military inquiry were held to examine his actions. They found that he was not justified in relinquishing his command. Although he was later given a corps-level post in Australia, he never again held a field command or led troops in battle. The controversy surrounding his escape remained a defining aspect of his legacy.

A citizen soldier, before World War I Bennett had worked in the insurance industry and at the conclusion of hostilities pursued his commercial interests while continuing to serve in the military in a part-time capacity, commanding at brigade and divisional level. He retired from the Army after World War II and turned to farming in the Hills District northwest of Sydney. He remained active in the world of business and as a military commentator, before dying in 1962 at the age of 75