Identifying Australian soldier named Bennett in World War I photograph (1917)?

Question

For more background to this question please see Identifying Australian soldier named Williams in World War I photograph (1917)?

This is a photograph of what I believe to be an Australian soldier from World War I named Bennett, and I would like to identify him.

It comes from a page from my grandmother's 1917 autograph book (see image below).

Her name was Gwenyth Jean Stacy (born 16 Dec 1902 at St Peters, Adelaide, South Australia) and at the time she was living with her parents and sisters at Henley Beach which is now a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.

The date of 9 Jul 1917 is written, with names, next to three of the photos, but I do not know whether that was the date they were taken on.

Can anyone help me with reading the handwriting and identifying him?

I will then try to contact his family and provide them with his photograph.

Unfortunately his surname of Bennett is common. His first initial seems to be P but I am uncertain of his second initial. I am more than happy to share the pleasure of discovering who he was with anyone keen to look at Australian military records.

Some places that I have looked but that are worth revisiting are:

• National Archives of Australia: Army – World War I: 1914–18
• Australian War Memorial: First World War, 1914–18

Answer 1

I was thinking perhaps the second initial was a "T", so I did a quick search of the South Australian BDM index (run by GenealogySA) and found a P. T. (Patrick Thomas) Bennett, who seemed about the right 'vintage" for the photo:

Given Name(s): Patrick Thomas Last Name: BENNETT Birth Date: 1890, July 17 Gender: M Father: William Patrick BENNETT Mother: Bridget Theresa DWYER Birth Place/Residence: Nr Millicent District: Grey Symbol: Book/Page: 463/119

I then jumped onto the RSL virtual war memorial website and found:

BENNETT, Patrick Thomas Service number 2376 Private 50th Infantry Battalion AIF WW1

If this might be him, there are also some interesting "Red Cross" papers.

What was interesting about the "Red Cross" papers, is a letter written to the Red Cross from an "M. Wittenberg" - the handwriting (well, at least the way "P. T. Bennett" is written, I think looks quite similar to the writing under the photograph of soldier P ? Bennett.

Answer 2

I agree it is most likely to be 2376 Patrick Thomas Bennett: Perhaps the other soldier is 2952 Leslie Alick Williams of South Australia. Both were serving overseas in 1917 so doubt the date on their photos is relevant.

Answer 3

I directed Faithe Jones who hosts the World War 1 Pictorial Honour Rolls of Australians to this Q&A and she suggested Patrick Thomas Bennett (Regimental number: 2376) but does not have a photo of him to compare.