100th Birthday - William Beningfield, The Middlesex Regiment

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by JDKR, Jul 13, 2020.

  1. JDKR

    JDKR Member

    Tomorrow, 14 July, is the 100th birthday of William Beningfield of The Middlesex Regiment, a survivor of the battle of Hong Kong and the infamous aftermath of the sinking of the Lisbon Maru The Lisbon Maru | COFEPOW.

    In the battle for Hong Kong, William was in Pill Box No 22 near Stanley when ordered to surrender on Christmas Day 1941. He spent the next few months in Shamshuipo camp before being loaded onto the Lisbon Maru on 27 November 1942. The Lisbon Maru was subsequently sunk by the American submarine USS Grouper. William was rescued by a Chinese fisherman, taken to his village, recaptured with others and sent to Kobe, Japan, where they were interned at Kobe House. When he was liberated, he was flown to Okinawa, then Clark base in the Philippines, by ship to Vancouver, across Canada by rail to Halifax, and finally home to England.

    William lives with his wife Emily (they have been married over 70 years) in Canada. William and Emily were dating sweethearts in London during the Blitz before he was posted overseas. Emily was a dispatch driver in London and did a stint on radar for an AA battery. They were married in 1948 and moved to Canada the same year. The happiest of birthdays to a brave Diehard.
     
  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Here are his basic POW details. Captured Christmas Day 1941 and liberated at Osaka.


    Beningfield POW 2.jpg
     
    JDKR likes this.
  3. JDKR

    JDKR Member

    Sad to report that William passed away on 20 December. RIP old soldier.
     

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