Our Heroes

Albert Walter “Wally” Bennett was born on October 12, 1894, in Little Yeldham, England. He moved to Canada in 1911, beginning a connection to his adopted country that would include wartime service and decades of dedication to his fellow veterans.

In August 1914, at the outset of the First World War, Wally enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and travelled overseas with the 10th Battalion. He served as a machine-gunner at the Battle of St. Julien, enduring fierce fighting and surviving to return home after the war.

Wally was wounded twice while serving in France. He was later assigned to Lord Beaverbrook’s Canadian War Records Office in London, contributing to the work of preserving Canada’s wartime history.

He was discharged from the army on November 24, 1919. For his service, he received the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Wally’s commitment to his comrades continued long after his military service ended. For nearly thirty years, he served as secretary of the 10th Battalion Association, helping maintain the bonds between veterans and preserve the memory of those who had served together.

He passed away on March 9, 1991. His memorial banner honours a soldier whose service extended from the battlefields of the First World War to a lifetime of remembrance and fellowship.

Lest We Forget.