2nd. Lieutenant Jack Armstrong Benham
Royal Engineers

Early Life

Jack was born in Chobham in 1919, the eldest of three sons to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest and Gladys Benham of Coppice Wood. His brothers were Derek and Alexander (also known as Peter).

Ernest was a corn merchant at the family firm of Messrs. F. W. Benham and Sons, owners of Chobham Mill and was a district councillor.

Chobham mill

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

Jack left the grammar school in 1937 and worked for a time in London as a trainee quantity surveyor with the firm Widnell and Trollope, a company that still exists to this day. He was also honorary secretary of Chobham Agricultural Association.

World War 2

Jack joined the Royal Engineers as a territorial before the war and was called up for service on 25 August 1939 (service number 158201). He rose to the rank of Sergeant before being sent to 142nd Officer Training Unit (OTU) based at Aldershot. He received his commission as 2nd. Lieutenant on 23 November 1940.

In the first week of January 1941 Jack was sent to Iran 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. He was 22 years old.

Jack's grave in Tehran

Jack Benham is buried in Tehran War Cemetery, Iran (grave 6. B. 9).

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