ABSTRACT
After the war Lieutenant-General A.E. Percival remarked, without admiration, that ‘Henry Gordon Bennett cared more for the well-being of the Australian Imperial Force than of anything else’. Not only did Bennett criticise commanders, but he also turned his attention upon their troops, particularly the Indians. Bennett’s ideas on how best to deal with the Japanese were aggressive, unlike those of either Heath or Percival. Bennett’s prejudice against regular officers and his dogmatic personality, which seem to have fostered reciprocal attitudes among some of his subordinates, largely prevented the reconciliation of differences within the 8th Division, and hampered its effective operation. Ian Morrison, a war correspondent who spent some time with Bennett in Malaya, described Bennett as ‘a rasping, bitter, sarcastic person, given to expressing his views with great freedom. Mackay, unlike Bennett, was prepared to rely on his regular staff officers, especially Berryman, to guide him.
