DOB/DOD: June 1, 1920 (Circleville, WV) – November 30, 1944; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Edna Allen (1920-2001), of 568 South Compo Road in Westport on May 11, 1940
CHILDREN: Two sons, Wayne A. [Navy veteran] (1941-2015) and Gary (1942-present).
LOCAL ADDRESS: 208 Fairview Avenue, Norwalk
ENLISTMENT: April 22, 1944
SERVICE NUMBER: 35834442
UNIT: 414th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolves)
FAMILY: Born to Thomas Murphy (?-?) and Evelyn Bennett (1902-1973). One sister, Ruby Jacqueline Bennett Willis (1921-2010).
OTHER: His home address was Akron, Ohio, when he enlisted on April 22, 1944. He was officially listed as an Ohio resident when KIA. Died just 7 months after enlistment.
Portrait provided by Kim Pearce, great-niece of Wayne Everett Bennett.
From facesbeyondthegraves.com about the 104th Infantry in November 1944: “On the 16th of November, the 104th attacked, taking Stolberg and pushing on against heavy resistance. Eschweiler fell on the 21st and the enemy was cleared from the area west of the Inde River, including Inden, by 2 December. Lucherberg was held against enemy counterattacks on 3 December, and all strongholds west of the Roer (Ruhr) River were captured by the 23rd.”
From The Bridgeport Post, December 9, 1944
The body of Private Wayne Bennett, 208 Fairview Avenue, who was killed in Germany on November 30, 1944, while serving in Aachen with the 104th (Timberwolf) division, will be returned here Wednesday on the 12:23 p.m. train and escorted to the Magner funeral home, 12 Mott Avenue, by the White Fleet committee of veteran organizations. Services will take place on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the funeral home with the Reverend James N. Zeigler, pastor of the Community Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in the American Legion plot, Riverside Cemetery. Private Bennett is survived by his wife, Mrs. Edna Bennett of Norwalk, and two sons, Wayne Jr. and Gary.
From The Norwalk Hour December 20, 1944
Private Wayne Bennett, a former resident of this city and husband of a Westport girl, was killed in action with the U.S. Infantry in Germany early this month, according to word received from the War Department. Bennett, while living here, married Miss Edna Allen, daughter of a policeman, and Mrs. Winfield S. Allen of 568 South Compo Road, Westport. They have two children, Wayne Allen Bennett, four, and Gary Lee Bennett, three. The Bennetts moved to Akron, Ohio, where he was inducted into service last May. Private Bennett went overseas in November, stopping in England before joining the fighting in France, Belgium, and then Germany. Mrs. Bennett and her children will remain in Akron over the holidays and then expect to return to Westport. Mrs. Bennett has two brothers in the service, John, with the U.S. Army in the Southwest Pacific, and Richard, a Marine, who was wounded in Tarawa. Richard is now on furlough and visiting his parents, Policeman and Mrs. Allen, in Westport.
Private Bennett is buried in Riverside Cemetery, 81 Riverside Avenue, Norwalk, CT; Section 11, Plot 1. Photo by webmaster.
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