Philip Bent was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and moved to
Britain at a young age. He initially trained as a seaman and
was taking his Mer chant
Navy officer's tickets when the war broke out in 1914. He
joined a Scottish regiment for a bit of fun as the war was
anticipated to be over by Christmas. How wrong he was.
He was commissioned in the Leicestershire Regiment.He was 26
years old when his deed took place. The citation reads:
| On 1 October 1917 east of Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke,
Belgium, when the situation was critical owing to the
confusion caused by a heavy enemy attack and the intense
artillery fire, Lieutenant Colonel Bent collected a
platoon that was in reserve and together with men from
other companies and various regimental details, he
organised and led them forward to the counter-attack,
which was successful and the enemy were checked. The
coolness and magnificent example of the colonel resulted
in the securing of a portion of the line essential to
subsequent operation, but he was killed whilst leading a
charge. |
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the memorial wall at
Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium. His Victoria Cross is displayed at
the Museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment in Leicester,
England. |
