BENNINGTON, Spencer Charles
(Service number )
Mid (sitting) from left: J.H. McKendry, H.L. White, J.L. Davis, T.E. Royds, H.D. Christie, R.R.Napier, J. E. Rawnsley.
Front from left: M. McDonough, E.H.J. Miller, A.E. Mercer, R.L. Ronaldson. (Waimate Museum & Archives 2002-1026-01847)
| First Rank | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 20/04/1896 | Place of Birth | Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand |
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Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 184 Talbot Street, Geraldine | ||
| Occupation | Engineer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | |||
Military Service
| Served with | UK Armed Forces | Served in |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Royal Flying Corps | ||
| Date | 18 February 1918 | ||
| Transport | SS Mokoia | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 1964 | Age | 67 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | New Zealand | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Spencer was the son of James & Elizabeth Bennington (née Pitt). He was born in Wimate, but moved to Geraldine where he was educated and went on to work as a sanitary engineer.
Bennington gained his Flying Certificate at the Canterbury Flying School, Christchurch, New Zealand on a Caudron Biplane, 30 December 1917. Flight Lieutenant Bennington left Geraldine en route for Dunedin in February 1918 to embark for England. He was to take up his position in the Royal Flying Corps. He sailed with the Expeditionary Force on the 'SS Mokoia' on 18th February 1918. Much of his time in overseas service was spent in Scotland and England. After the war Mr Bennington resided in Waimate (South Canterbury) where he worked as a plumber. During the Second World War he was again appointed to a commission, this time in the Home Guard as Lieutenant, and posted to the Waimate Battalion on 1 August 1941.
Bennington had retired at Waimate by 1963, where he died in 1964 at the age of 67.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database (12 August 2015); Notes supplied by Waimte Museum - see also NZ Museums online at http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3188/object/544864/Bennington_Spencer_Charles_with_Royal_Flying_Corps_Cadets_1918; Waimate Archives also holds a small black photo album containing photographs taken by Spencer C Bennington of his trip to England by ship 'SS Mokoia', through the Panama Canal, Newport Town, Virginia, USA, Jamaica and on to Hampton, Scotland, and Hastings. UK
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin, South Canterbury Museum; Sue Hanham, Waimate Museum & Archives
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.