General Gordon Bennett was commander of the Australian 8th Division in Singapore in 1942. When the British surrendered to the Japanese, Bennett escaped to Australia because he believed that he could share useful information about Japanese fighting tactics to help in the war ahead. Prime Minister Curtin accepted this, but the army high command believed that he should have stayed with his men. It’s been one of the biggest controversies in Australian military history ever since. No-one doubts Bennett’s courage or ability – he became a General at the age of 29 years in France in World War 1, and he had a reputation in both wars as a fearless fighter.But did he do the right thing in leaving his men behind? Or did he just become a scapegoat for British military failings? It seems that most of his men thought he was right, but the top brass – and ultimately a Royal Commission – disagreed. This book is riveting – the long standing mutual dislike of Bennett and Commander in Chief Thomas Blamey started before World War One runs through it. It’s a great history of the 8th Division and of the fighting in Malaya and Singapore, and Bennett in particular.
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook