Beney, Arthur, eldest son of William Augustus Beney, of Beckenham, Kent, by Emily, daughter of Robert Whall Cooke, of Brighton, Sussex; b. March 26, 1883; adm. Sept. 30, 1897 (R); left April 1901; an export merchant; served in France and Italy in Great War I; Major R. A. S. C. and D. A. D. of Transport April 11, 1918; mentioned in despatches L. G. May 29, 1917, and Dec. 20, 1918; O.B.E. Jan. 1, 1919; m. Jan. 24, 1920, Evelyn Annie, daughter of Ernest L. Simpson, of Toronto, Canada; d. April 8, 1960.
Bengough, Harry, brother of John Lynton Harcourt Bengough (qv); b. 25 Sept. 1923; adm. Sept. 1935 (R); left Dec. 1939; Queen's Roy. Lancers in WW2; a member of Lloyd's; m. 6 Aug. 1954 Sonia, d. of Joseph Barker of Knaresborough, Yorks.
Bengough, John Lynton Harcourt, son of Neville Stewart Harcourt Bengough, a member of Lloyd's, and Gladys Ella, d. of James Williams of Aboyne, Aberdeenshire; b. 21 Nov. 1919; adm. May 1932 (R); left July 1936; RA in WW2, disch. for ill health; m. 21 Nov. 1939 Daphne Batria Claire, d. of Walter Maurice Edwards; d. 21 July 1961.
Benjamin, Joseph Henry, son of Ludwig Benjamin, of Bayswater, by Gertrude, daughter of Isaac Solomon Henry; b. Feb. 25, 1904; adm. from Tonbridge School May 2, 1917 (H); left Easter 1921; a clerk in the London Stock Exchange.
Benn, Anthony Neil Wedgwood, brother of Hon. Michael Julius Wedgwood Benn (qv); b. 3 Apr. 1925; adm. Sept. 1938 (B); left July 1942; New Coll. Oxf., matric. 1942, BA 1946, MA 1949, hon. Fellow 2005; RAFVR 1943-5, RNVR 1945-6; Pres. of Oxford Union 1947; producer BBC N. American Service 1949-50; MP (Lab. ) Bristol South-East Dec. 1950-60 and Aug. 1963-83, Chesterfield Mar. 1984-2001; succ. his father as 2nd Viscount Stansgate 17 Nov. 1960; unsuccessfully attempted to renounce his succession in 1955 and 1960, and after winning a by-election at Bristol South-East in May 1961 was disqualified from taking his seat; later instigated the Peerage Act 1963, and renounced the title for life; chmn. Fabian Soc. 1964; Postmaster-General 1964-6, founding the PO Giro; PC 1964; Min. of Technology 1966-70, assuming responsibility for Aviation in 1967, for Power 1969; hon. LLD Strathclyde Univ. 1969, hon. DTech Bradford Univ. 1969, hon. DSc Aston Univ., 1970; Sec. of State for Industry 1974-5, for Energy 1975-9; member NEC, Lab. Party 1959-60, 1962-93, chmn. 1971-2; pres., Campaign Group of Labour MPs 1987-2001; pres., Stop the War Coalition 2004-14; author of a number of works on political subjects; published nine volumes of his diaries; m. 17 June 1949 Caroline, d. of James Miltonn De Camp of Cincinnati, USA; d. 14 Mar. 2014.
Benn, Hon. Michael Julius Wedgwood, son of Rt Hon. William Wedgwood Benn, 1st Viscount Stansgate, PC DSO DFC, and Margaret, d. of Daniel Turner Holmes MP; b. 5 Sept. 1921; adm. Sept. 1934 (H); left July 1940; RAFVR 1941 (Flt-Lieut.); a fighter pilot, DFC Aug. 1943; d. of wounds received in action June 1944.
Michael Julius Wedgwood Benn was born in Sussex on the 5th of September 1921 the eldest son of Air Commodore the Right Honourable William Wedgwood Benn DSO, DFC MP, 1st Viscount Stansgate, and Vicountess Stansgate, Margaret Eadie (nee Holmes) Benn of 40, Millbank, Westminster and of Stansgate Abbey in Essex. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1934 to July 1940. He was a member of the 3rd Rowing VIII in 1937 and of the 2nd Rowing VIII in 1939. He was elected as Secretary of the Boat Club in 1940. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as a pilot and rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 16th of August 1941. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 16th of August 1942 and to Flight Lieutenant on the 16th of August 1943. He was serving with 153 Squadron when he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 20th of August 1943.
Michael Benn and his navigator, Flying Officer William Alec Roe, took off from RAF Thorney Island at 2.10am on the 23rd of June 1944 in Mosquito FB Mk VI NS837 YH-G for a patrol. It was to be his final operation before he was to take up a post as Aide de Camp to the Air Marshal commanding the Far East. Soon after taking off he noticed that the air speed indicator was malfunctioning and he called the base to say that he was returning. When he arrived over the airfield he found that the runway lights had been turned off. With no way of judging his landing he was afraid of landing short of the runway but instead he landed too far down it and struck a nine foot sea wall at the far end of it. The aircraft crashed through the wall, across the beach and into the sea beyond. Michael Benn had broken his back in the crash and William Roe, although injured himself, had to hold Benn’s head above water until the two men were rescued. They were taken to St Richards Hospital, Chichester for treatment. Margaret Benn rushed to the hospital to visit her son and was able to speak to him before he died twenty minutes later at 3.40pm
He had left a letter to his parents, which was to be opened in the event of his death and read as follows: -
“So may I now take my leave of you, Father, from whom I inherited those qualities which I hoped would play their part later in my life and who was always a friend I could trust and who was everything a friend could be. If he knew how true his first words had come. Mother, from whom I inherited the precious gift of religion, time alone would have shown what I intended to do with that. James (Anthony) who would have been a helping friend and who shared so many interests with me. We might have done great things together. The little Prof (David) to whom I am devoted. Take care of him. Last, but by no means least, Nursey, who has contributed to the family more than she can ever realise. To you all I say au revoir. It was my dearest wish to settle down to do what I could to prevent the suffering of another war from descending on the lives of our children. How I longed to see a world when people could be as free and happy as we were in our family. The toast is then, “The Future”. God Bless you all, my family”
His funeral was held at Golders Green Crematorium on the 28th of June 1944, but his father and brother, Anthony, were unable to attend.
He is commemorated on a memorial in St Lawrence’s Church, Steeple in Essex.
He is commemorated at Golders Green Crematorium Panel 1.
BENNET, JAMES; b.; adm.; KS 1668; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1671, adm. pens. 8 Jun 1671, scholar 1672, 3rd in “ordo” 1674/5; BA 1674/5.
BENNET, JOHN, son of John Bennet, St. Margaret’s, Westminster, High Bailiff of Westminster, and Jane, dau. of William Gavell, St. Margaret’s, Westminster; b. 28 Oct 1657; adm.; KS 1672; elected head to Christ Church, Oxford 1676, matr. 20 Oct 1676, aged 18, Westminster Student from 24 Dec 1676, Tutor 1683-6; BA 1680; MA 1683; author, Constantius the Apostate, 1683 (a reply to Samuel Johnson’s Julian the Apostate); d. 6 Oct 1686. Buried Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. DNB.
BENNET, JOHN; b.; adm.; KS; elected head to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1661, adm. pens. 22 May 1661, scholar 1662; BA 1664/5; MA 1668; ordained deacon (Lincoln) 17 May 1668, priest 13 Jun 1668; Rector of Wicken Bonhunt, Essex, from 1671; Vicar of Littlebury, Essex, from 1673; m. 1674 Frances, third dau. of Jasper Edwards (qv); d. 1692.
BENNET, JOHN; b.; adm.; QS; failed to obtain his election to either university 1573. [But note SIR JOHN BENNET, Christ Church, Oxford, 1573 ?].