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 remembered for his role during the fall of Singapore in February 1942.

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 was the sixth of nine children and attended Balwyn State School, where his father taught, and then Hawthorn College as a teenager having been given a three-year scholarship.

[4] In May 1908, just after he turned 21, Bennett volunteered to serve in the Militia, Australia's reserve military force, joining the 5th Australian Infantry Regiment as a "recruit officer".

[5] At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Bennett volunteered to serve with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and, after securing his release from AMP on full pay,[6] was appointed second-in-command of the 6th Battalion,[7] which was part of the 2nd (Victorian) Infantry Brigade, assigned to the 1st Division.

Bennett carried the picture in his jacket pocket while serving overseas and it later saved his life on the Western Front, deflecting a German bullet.

The decision by the Allies to force a passage through the Dardanelles interrupted this process, as the 1st Division was allocated to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign.

[17] Throughout June and July, Bennett's battalion occupied the front line during a period of reduced tempo fighting as a stalemate developed.

[19] Following the attack on the German Officers' Trench, Bennett's battalion was withdrawn from the front line briefly, before relieving the 1st Brigade, which had successfully captured Lone Pine.

The following month, as reinforcements in the shape of the 2nd Division arrived at Anzac, the original Australian units were relieved on a rotational basis, including the 6th Battalion, which was sent back to Lemnos.

Just after the war ended, Bess returned to Australia with the couple's 10-month-old daughter, while Bennett remained in Europe until June 1919, briefly touring the Rhine and then viewing the London victory parade, where he escorted Lady Birdwood while her husband, Lord Birdwood, the former commander of the Australian Corps, marched.

[27] Later, he purchased a textile factory and worked as a clothing manufacturer and public accountant before being appointed chairman of the New South Wales Repatriation Board in 1922, in which role he was able to help returned soldiers.

[3] Bennett remained active in the military, continuing to serve as part of the Militia, which was reorganised in 1921 following the conclusion of the demobilisation process.

In 1930, he was promoted to the rank of major general and over the ensuing years became increasingly parochial against the small permanent Staff Corps.

[29] In 1937, amidst increasing tensions in Europe, he came into conflict with the Military Board after he wrote a number of newspaper articles expressing his concerns about complacent defence policy and the efficiency of regular officers.

[3][30] When World War II broke out in September 1939, although only 52, Bennett was passed over for command of the Second Australian Imperial Force, the position going to General Thomas Blamey.

B. Lodge, Bennett's biographer, commented: "Because of his temperament, he was considered unsuitable for a semi-diplomatic command, and one that involved subordination to British generals.

[31] In February 1941, the 8th Division's headquarters, along with one of its brigades – the 22nd – was posted to Malaya after a request from the British for Australia to contribute troops to bolster the garrison there, amid growing concerns of war with the Japanese, and as part of the plans that had been formulated as the pre-war Singapore strategy.

[34] Bennett's command was not engaged in the early stages of the fighting because the initial Japanese attacks fell on British and Indian units around Kota Bharu and the Thai–Malay border.

[35] On Singapore, Bennett's command once again included the two Australian brigades – the 22nd and 27th – which were allocated the task of defending the north-western sector of the island.

The weight fell on the 22nd Brigade's area and, trying to fend off two Japanese divisions, they were eventually forced to withdraw towards the centre of the island.

The 27th Brigade initially managed to hold its sector, but it was subjected to a follow-up assault on 10 February and, as the 22nd fell back, it was also forced to withdraw.

There, they transferred to a launch in which they sailed up the Batang Hari River, eventually proceeding by car to Padang, on the west coast of Sumatra.

Prime Minister John Curtin issued a statement that read: I desire to inform the nation that we are proud to pay tribute to the efficiency, gallantry and devotion of our forces throughout the struggle.

[3] Upon retirement from active service, Bennett began writing for a Sydney newspaper and was a correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

He remained concerned about his soldiers, though, and met the first group of recently freed 8th Division prisoners of war when they arrived in Sydney on the transport Manunda.

Bennett's stated reason for leaving Singapore was that he had learned how to defeat the Japanese (but had been let down by British and Indian troops) and he was obliged to communicate his knowledge to military authorities.

[3]In 1948, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Fry, a military lawyer, published the opinion: "The Royal Commissioner based his report on an interpretation of international law, and did not discuss General Bennett's action from the standpoint of Australian military law, which placed him under no inflexible obligation to remain on Singapore Island.

"[47][48] Bennett later became an orchardist, purchasing a property and living at Glenorie in the Hills district on Sydney's North Western fringe, until 1955 when, due to deteriorating health following a coronary occlusion, he sold his orchard and moved to Dural, New South Wales.