Bennett Southwell, GC (21 March 1913 – 17 October 1940) was a member of a Royal Navy team carrying out bomb disposal when he was killed during the London blitz.
Southwell was educated at Meadow Hall Road School in Rotherham, subsequently working as a domestic gardener before taking employment at the hosiery manufacturer N. Corah & Sons.
Southwell was part of a team tackling an unexploded parachute mine on 17 October 1940 during the height of the blitz in Hoxton in the East End of London.
The street was deserted and the 1,500 pounds (680 kg) mine could be seen dangling from its parachute, wrapped round the chimney of a terraced house.
They ran for cover in a nearby air raid shelter but the mine exploded, destroying six surrounding streets and killing Southwell instantly.