[2] Benson enlisted in the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade of the Australian Imperial Force in September 1914 and saw active duty in the Mediterranean.

[6] He designed the commemorative vignette for the first airmail envelopes carried from England to Australia by Keith and Ross Smith in 1919.

[7] In 1931, Benson was commissioned by the University of Western Australia to paint the ceiling beams of Winthrop Hall.

[2] He carried out further mural commissions in Perth, while also working as a critic and cartoonist for The West Australian newspaper.

[3] Benson instead enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces and worked as a camouflage officer until 1943.