Anneux bell

The ‘Anneux’ bell is dedicated to the memory of John Dale Bennett, a young clerk from Wellington.

John and his twin brother, Alan, were born in 1895, the only children of ironmonger Philip Bennett and his wife, Jane. The boys grew up in Seatoun and in 1912 passed the civil service exam together. Three years later Alan, the younger of the two, passed away at his parents’ home.

John became a clerk and went on to work for the Union Bank of Australia. He also served in the Wellington City Cadets and for D Battery, a territorial and coastal defence force based in Wellington.

In August 1916, a few weeks after his 21st birthday, John enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He departed for service overseas in February 1917 and soon arrived on the Western Front, where he was posted to the Ammunition Column of the New Zealand Field Artillery and helped deliver ammunition to the front line.

In late September 1918 the New Zealand Division took part in a major Allied offensive to break the German defensive line. It was during this offensive, on 4 October 1918, that John was killed in action.

John is buried in Hermies Hill British Cemetery in France and in 1926 his parents gave one of the Carillon bells in memory of their son. The bell is named after the small village of Anneux in northern France, near to where John lost his life. Philip and Jane lived at the family home in Seatoun until 1940 when they passed away within three weeks of each other. 

Further information

Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph record – John Bennett

Commonwealth War Graves Commission record – John Bennett