Speech day 1934

Roll of Honour: Jack Benham

   

 

2nd Lieutenant J. A. Benham

Royal Engineers

158201

Died of illness, 6 October 1941, Iran. Aged 22.

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Jack Armstrong Benham was born in Chobham in 1919, the eldest of three sons of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Benham of Coppice Wood. Ernest was a member of the well known firm of Messrs. F. W. Benham and Sons, owners of the Chobham Town Mill and a district and parish councillor.

Jack attended Chobham C of E School before passing to Woking Grammar School in 1929 where he matriculated and gained his higher school certificate and inter-B.Sc.

He left the Grammar school in 1937 and worked for a time in London as a trainee Quantity Surveyor with the firm of Widnell and Trollope, a company that still exists today. He was also Hon. Secretary of Chobham Agricultural Association.

Jack joined the Royal Engineers as a territorial before the war and was called up for service on 25 August 1939. He rose to the rank of Sergeant before being sent to 142nd Officer Cadet Training Unit based at Aldershot. He received his commission on 23 November 1940.

In the first week of January 1941 Jack went out east and was attached to the Indian Army.

On 6 August 1941 Mr. and Mrs. Benham received their last letter from their son. On Sunday 12 October they received the dreaded telegram informing them that Jack had died of pneumonia the previous Wednesday (6 October). He was 22 years old.

Jack Benham is buried in Tehran War Cemetery, Iran (grave 6.B.9). He is also remembered on the Woking County Grammar School roll of honour located in Christ Church, Woking.

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Last updated 27 August 2011

Sources

1911 UK Census

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

London Gazette

Woking County School magazine

Woking News and Mail

www.unithistories.com

www.chobham.info

Order of memorial service 1946

Order of memorial service for old boys killed in WW2 in 1946.

School silver jubilee

The school's silver jubilee as reported by the Woking News and Mail in 1939.

1937 Prefects

1937 Prefects. Photo taken in upper playground.

Gilbert Rowe, Cyril Horwood and Jack Benham were killed in WW2.

Roll of Honour

Incomplete list of Old Wokingians killed, decorated or captured during WW2. I'm not sure why Cyril Horwood has been scratched from the list because he was killed on a training flight at RAF Leuchers in 1941.

Roll of honour

The role of honour plaque that used to be on the first floor balcony wall in the hall is now hanging in Christ Church in Woking.

Roll of honour

The role of honour plaque that used to be on the first floor balcony wall in the hall is now hanging in Christ Church in Woking.