What’s Left Behind:

UNCOVERING REMNANTS OF BERWICK ACADEMY’S YOUNGEST WORLD WAR II VETERAN

By Kendra L. Bates, Assistant Director of Communications

When Upper School teacher Brad Fletcher took over as School archivist, he made a discovery that led him on a mission to learn about the life and service of the youngest member of the Berwick family to lose his life in World War II.

Fletcher shared what he learned about Sergeant Edward W. Bennett ’43 at a Veterans Day assembly in the Wood Gym on the morning of November 11, 2022. In his opening address, Head of School Jim Hamilton introduced the presentation to honor one veteran.

Fletcher shared the story of Bennett, a Berwick native who enlisted in the Army in 1942. He prefaced his tale with an image of a box of mementos that had been residing in the School’s archives prior to his arrival. The box (pictured on the next page) contained several photographs, clippings, and documents but no note or letter of explanation, no obvious name or further information indicating who collected the items or how they came into Berwick’s possession. At first, the fragments of memorabilia didn’t seem to fit together, Fletcher said, but after some deeper digging, he soon connected the pieces to reveal a profile of a former student.

As Fletcher took inventory, he noted a series of black-and-white photos that mostly depicted soldiers, some with identifying names written on the back. There were also two postcard collections sent from military bases in the South, including one from the Army Air Force Gunnery School, addressed to Mrs. Amanda Bennett, 54 Maine Street, South Berwick; and a pair of Mother’s Day and Easter greetings signed “Love, Son Eddie.” Fletcher’s research soon led him to the recipient, Amanda Bennett, a widowed mother of seven, who had four sons serving in the war in 1942.

“If we were passing by 54 Main Street,” Fletcher told the Berwick community, “we would have likely seen four blue stars displayed on her front door or window, denoting her four sons in military service.

Walking down the street, any street in this or any town or city, we would everywhere recognize these common symbols of service and sacrifice.”

Fletcher eventually determined that the box was donated in memory of Mrs. Bennett’s second-youngest child, Edward. Edward Bennett’s time on the Hilltop is documented by his name in the School’s Bible, a few football team photographs, and his final varsity certificate. He was remembered by one former classmate as “an excellent student, fine football player, the best friend I ever had.” He left school to enlist in January 1942, a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Returning to the documents, Fletcher identified a short, undated, and perhaps purposefully vague letter from Edward, letting his mother know that his unit had arrived in England and that he was faring well. During his short time at war, Edward was a sergeant and tail gunner, a member of a crew of 10 on a B-17 heavy bomber, whose name, Due Back — an optimistic reference to returning home — was painted over a map of the United States on the plane’s fuselage. The crew was part of the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bombardment Group which, on Christmas Eve 1943, began an intensive bombing campaign against German cities. Fletcher explained that the bombing campaign was so brutal and costly that crews were expected to conduct 25 missions to complete their duty, a mark only a third of them achieved. Due Back was unfortunately not among them.

What Fletcher did not find in the box was the telegram Amanda Bennett most likely received in September 1944, notifying her that her son’s plane had failed to return from an August 27 bombing raid over Germany and was officially listed as missing. There were, however, letters of condolence from the Army, Edward’s commanding officer, and a chaplain to confirm his suspected fate. One note contained this painful statement: “General Marshall extends his deep sympathy in your bereavement. Your son fought valiantly in a supreme hour of his country’s need. His memory will live in the grateful heart of our nation.”

Finally, in April 1945 as the war in Europe was nearing its end, came official notification that the body of Sergeant Edward W. Bennett, previously reported as missing, had been recovered on the Isle of Sylt in northern Germany, with his date of death listed as August 27, 1944. He was 21 years old.

The remaining documents pertaining to Edward Bennett included two check notifications to his mother, one for his monetary possessions and the other for a life insurance pension of which she was the beneficiary. There was also a notification that the War Graves Commission charged with burying Edward had identified the location of his final resting place: Plot S, Row 4, Grave 93, in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuvilleen-Condroz, Belgium. Fletcher conducted a search of the cemetery’s database and was unable to confirm that plot, but a 98-yearold classmate and friend remembered that, in 1949, Edward was finally brought home and buried in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, where a bronze military tablet marks his grave.

Berwick Academy sent more than 250 men and women into military service in WWII. Of the 10 who lost their lives, Edward Bennett was the youngest. Their names are recorded on a plaque in Fogg Memorial and on a marker set in the ground at the corner of Memorial Field. In addition, 10 trees — one for each of those lost — are planted in a line across the slope beside the baseball field. Fletcher closed his presentation by asking those in attendance to reflect on the members of the Berwick community who have served.

“When passing these memorials on campus,” he said, “pause for a moment and remember Edward Bennett and the others who died, their classmates who served in the war, and those who have since and still continue to serve. They do not ask for more, they do not deserve less, and we owe them so much.”