Louis Bennet was buried originally in the churchyard at Wavrin, eight miles south-west of Lille amongst German military graves. It was here that Sallie Bennett paid for the construction of ‘une eglise provisoire ’—a small temporary church—and for a monument to her son’s memory, which was erected at its entrance. The church and monument were dedicated on 24 August 1919, the anniversary of his death.
In 1927, a new church (L’église Saint-Martin) was rebuilt on the site of the original and dedicated on 27 May 1928.
The monument to Louis Bennet, shown on the right of the entrance to the temporary church, was damaged during the Second World War and later a small plaque was placed near the town’s memorial inside the new church. The plaque is inscribed: ‘A la Mémoire du Lieutenant Benett ‘ (sic). The original monument comprised a photograph of Louis Bennett within an engraved wreath and underneath an inscription in French.
Sacrifice 