Thomas Lloyd Bennett

Growing up:

     Thomas Lloyd Bennett grew up in Ottawa ON on 80 Belmont Ave. He was born on March 3rd 1920 and raised in an Anglican household by Winnifred Gwen Alice Dawson and Charles Herbert Bennett. Thomas went to Hopewell Avenue Public School, in 1926 to 1933, after that he went to Glebe Collegiate Institute from 1933 to 1938. While he was at Glebe, Thomas joined many different sports like track, baseball, swimming, rugby, and hockey. After high school, Thomas went to The Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario in 1938 to 1940, where he took a 2 year war course and received honors. In July 1940 Thomas enlisted in the war to become a fighter pilot. He went to the second stage recruiting centre RCAF #1 Manning Depot Toronto Ontario and he died while in 148 Sqn.

     In 1940 planes were the new technology. everyone wanted to join in on the excitement, especially young men for their brave adventurous ways of life. Thomas was no different; he was confident, mature, and pleasant, with quick organized and accurate intelligence. Perfect for flying planes. He also could have wanted to go because his mother was British and he wanted to help his country for her. Many people went to war for this reason, to support their British allies. Thomas had an older brother named Robert Taylor Bennett who also served in the war, maybe Thomas wanted to follow in his brothers footsteps.

     Back in the 1940s there was lots of racism around. People were racist to specifically Jewish people and Japanese people, Thomas wouldn't have been affected by the racism personally, however its possible he was friends with people who were affected by the racism. 

(Thomas Lloyd Benntt, Gym team grade 9 and 11)

Service History:

     After graduating The Royal Military College, Thomas enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force to become a Fighter Pilot. He went to the RCAF #1 Manning Depot Toronto Ontario. to become a pilot he had to go through lots of training. Thomas Bennett went to a Manning Depot on July 17, 1940  where he was sent to an Initial Training Center in Regina, Saskatchewan. Then he went to a second Manning Depot in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on November 6, 1940.  After graduating the initial four week training course, he was sent to an elementary flying training school for a seven week course. Then Thomas went to a Service Flying Training School in Camp Borden.  March 12, 1941 Thomas goes to another Service Flying Training School in Debert.  From Debert on April 6, 1941 he goes overseas. It only took a year or so for Thomas to be trained to go overseas. After all this training, Thomas was put right into battles .While he was overseas Thomas was placed in Squadron 120 by the Royal Air force in Harwell. He was switched from Squadron 120 to 148 Squadron.  This was his last Squadron before he went missing in action 4 miles out to sea, 45 miles west of Elhsun by a flag ship, on January 12, 1942 after an air operation. He was presumed dead the same day. His sacrifice means so much to us today, without him and other like him we would not be the independent nation that we are today. We are very proud of all the soldiers that fought for our country and supported our allies. 

(The Harvard plane Thomas flew)

Memorial

     Thomas's memorial is the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.

Bibliography

     Tiger Moth. N.d. Tiger Moth Plane, Flying. fiddlersgreen.net. Web. 3 May 2012.

     Unknown. Harvard. N.d. Unknown, Unknown. avsim.com. Web. 3 May 2012.

     unknown. Gym Team. 1936. Glebe, Ottawa, Ontario. Lux Glebana. By unknown. Ottawa: The Students, 1940. 400. Print.

     "CWGC - Casualty Details." CWGC - Homepage. Commonwealth War Graves, n.d. Web. 3 May 2012. <http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1535900/BENNETT%2c%20THOMAS%20LLOYD>.