Commander Harry T Bennett's sword and scabbard

Datec 1920

Object numberV00003832

NameSword and scabbard

MediumMetal

DimensionsOverall: 100 x 910 x 50 mm, 65 kg
Display Dimensions: 923 x 66 x 101 mm

ClassificationsArmament

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from J Bouvy

Terms

Australian Naval History

DescriptionThis naval officer's sword with lion's head pommel and shark skin grip belonged to Commander Harry Thring Bennett DSO, who served in both World Wars and was notable for his important Royal Australian Navy hydrographic surveys of the north and east coasts of Australia in the 1920s. Bennett was also navigator, surveyor and photographer of the 1930, 1933 and 1935 Mackay Aerial Reconnaissance Expeditions which used aerial surveys to chart 200,000 square miles of Western Australia.HistoryHarry T Bennett DSO served in the Royal Navy during World War I and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order; he then transferred to the Royal Australian Navy where he spent most of the 1920s in the Hydrographic Branch undertaking surveys of northern waters and of the Great Barrier Reef. He retired in 1929 but was recalled during World War II where he served firstly as Commander of HMAS PLATYPUS and then as Staff Officer in Sydney of the DEMS (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships).SignificanceNaval swords symbolise an important ceremonial aspect of naval life. This particular sword offers a significant connection to the naval career of Commander Bennett DSO.