David Benest - the thoughts of his many friends in Airborne Forces and beyond received after his death on 10 August 2020

David Benest - the thoughts of his many friends in Airborne Forces and beyond received after his death on
10 August 2020  [All are PARA Regt except where shown.]

 

Chris Keeble

How very sad. May David Rest in Peace. God bless, C+

 

Wayne Evans

I am saddened by this news. An officer and a gentleman in the true sense of that much abused second word. 

Controversial? Only to the 'new' breed. Thank you for the news, sad though it is.

 

Christopher Mike

Thank you for notifying the readership of this sad news. I knew David well and although we met relatively infrequently, he was always good company and very generous of spirit. He could also be reduced to childish giggles by the poorest of jokes.   know that he had a number of personal problems, I suppose we all do from time to time, but David seemed to have more black dogs than a Devon shooting party.

Whenever I see the film A Bridge Too Far, the depiction of the highly questioning and hyper intelligent IO has always reminded me of David. He was exceptionally principled and, as contrary as they might be, never afraid to state his points of view. Even if that made him extremely unpopular in some quarters. We may not have always agreed with his stance, I often didn’t, but his facts were almost always entirely correct. 

 

Stephen Cooper (Support our PARAs CEO)

Sad news indeed. A troubled but highly principled soul.

 

Tina Pittock (ex ABF Museum Curator)

I am sorry to hear the death of Col David.  He was on the board of the Airborne Forces Museum Trustees when I worked there. I know he continued after I moved on.  A very clever and intelligent person.

 

Hew Pike

What a terrible shock, Hamish. Thank you for letting us all know so quickly.

 

Tommy Aitken (16 Para Bde 1973-78)

Hamish this is sad news. I did the All Arms P Company alongside David, as a very young Soldier. David of course was a young Newly Minted Parachute Regiment Officer. I next met him when he was SO1 ACDSOR and I was an old and wizened LE Major. A good man, and obviously a very capable officer. 

 

Roger Patton

One of my subalterns, sad news indeed

 

Charlie Shea-Simmonds

Very sad news about David – he was a near neighbour, and we’d had lunch together just before lock down (with Herbie Knott who took the photo on the cover of my book) and where he was as wonderfully controversial as ever. I’d be grateful for any funeral details if numbers permit a reasonable attendance.

 

David Reynolds

Very sad news. Makes us all realise how vulnerable we are. A robust, but compassionate and as you say very clever man. 

 

Bill Brooks

Sad indeed. Remember him well as we both attended the same RSO course. Being the only Paras attending we were always teamed for exercises. We also met rather unexpectedly crossing the Seine at Notre Dame while we both were having a long weekend with our respective wives. What a sad loss.

 

Andy Mason

Sad news indeed. I liked David - someone that the younger generation might have referred to as Awkes. Bright, flinty and different, but with a big heart. Not bad credentials for a Paratrooper.

 

Jonathan Shaw

Thanks Hamish. What a sad end for someone with such talent

 

Richard Baillon

I am devastated to hear this, having been his 2IC when he was CO 2 PARA and having visited him for lunch not that long ago. Do let me know more when known.

 

Max Houghton

This is terribly sad news - far too young. 

 

Jacko Page

Deeply, deeply shocking news so sorry to hear it. Thought spoke and acted outside the box. A terrific example of the diverse characters the Regiment attracts which contributes to our strength. Will miss him

 

Christopher Tanous

What a shame but thank you for this very prompt notification. Janet and I went to an excellent lunch with David at his home near Pewsey not many months ago, renewing a friendship with him which dated from the early 1980s when he was Adj of 10 PARA. We were planning to get him over here very soon. I have never met Genevieve, who David told me was living in London. He told me that he was separated from her, maybe because — as he also told me — he was suffering from PTSD. When we lunched with him he also got Richard Beattie along, whom I knew as a member of the 44 Bde team when I was soldiering with 10 PARA in the first half of the 1970s. I had not seen Richard for many years, and it was a great pleasure to see him again that day.

 

Nick O’Connor (RAEC)

I am shattered.  I last spoke with David 10 days ago. Lovely man. ‘Now something so sad has hold of us that the breath leaves and we can’t even cry’ (Charles Bukowski).   I can cry.  I’m crying now.

 

Mark Etherington

How very sad. He was my OC in N Ireland. 

 

Louis Lillywhite (RAMC)

Very sad indeed. We had numerous exchanges on the subjects of PTSD and Goose Green.  I did get the impression that he continued to be challenged by PTSD.

 

John Hardy

As a former Adjt 10 Para, cerebral and different-so very sad

 

Bob Kershaw

Really sad to receive this Hamish. David and I kept in intermittent touch, and as you know he tended to choose when that should be. We go back a long way, we both did P Coy together with Dick Trigger. Really hits home when fellow platoon commanders go under, our first postings were to 2 Para.

 

Peter Bates (7 RHA)

Thank you for the sad news. I first came across David when he was in the MOD LSOR10B.This is really sad news.

He was a good boss. Please keep me informed of any more details.

 

Chris Davis (ex WO! Supt Clerk RHQ PARA)

This is so very sad; we had a good team at RHQ.

 

Nigel Thursby

Sad News indeed - far too young to die. David lived some 5 miles east from here in the Vale of Pewsey.

A firm supporter of the Ulysses Trust he had a bad time coping with his PTSD in recent years. Nonetheless, he could on occasion be a little controversial, particularly when giving his views on the FI campaign! We shall all miss him hugely.

 

Ron Lewis

Sad about David Benest, Hamish. He kept in contact with me right throughout the Bloody Sunday enquiry and was very supportive.

 

Ski Cendrowski

Sad, sad, sad news.  RIP Colonel David

 

Ben Clayton-Jolly

Very sad news.  David was a lovely man and I appreciated the photos and update on him. There have been many spontaneous messages on the Parachute Regiment social media sites at the announcement of David's death.  I think the measure of someone at the end of their days can be seen in what others say about them.  Especially how soldiers see their old officers.  The clear message from all of them was what a lovely person David was.  One simply said, "He was a real gent.  He loved the soldiers he commanded." 

 

Tony Mason

Thank you for the notice this morning concerning David Benest. I served with David in B Coy 2 Para which included 2 tours in Belfast. Both us were platoon commanders at the time. Additionally, while I was in 3 Para, he was RSO 2 Para in the Falklands and as ever we came back to the UK together on the Norland.

David was a close friend and was the best man at my wedding. Like most of us that knew him, we accepted the controversy and outspoken platitudes. In simple terms that was David. There is a group of us that have kept in touch from the Belfast days in 2 Para, and to a man we are shattered by the news of this morning.

 

Dave Ellis

This is truly awful. I fondly remember him as a callow youth in 2 PARA pinning the 16 Para Brigade Commander, The O’Morchoe, to a wall during a lunchtime session whilst forcibly making a point. He was equally forcibly dragged away by the Adj. I have been in touch with him quite regularly over the last few months as he helped me with my book. He gets a mention and thanks. He loved to make a point and was clearly struggling with some demons.

 

Rex Stephenson

Very sad, His paper round fund raising for the Ulysses Trust was both unique and much appreciated,

 

Claire Trigger

Shocked to hear of David’s sudden death.  I have such good memories of David’s kindness and support to myself and my sons in the years after Dick’s death. Along with much admiration for his achievements. 

 

Phil Evason

Very shocked about this news. I first met David when he was adjutant 10 para. I was a subaltern, he helped the junior officers immensely shaping and teaching us on the many facets of the Regiment, military life and particularly our responsibilities as young Officers. For many of us, David was a model of inspiration.

He and his wife were also very welcoming to me on arrival at Palace Barracks, in 1990. Again, he had the vision to accept and encourage the Reservist joining operations. More recently we made contact when he recognised there was no representation of Airborne Forces at Salisbury's Remembrance Day parade, which he found rightly, unacceptable, so I joined him at the march and wreath laying ceremony. I appreciated his flexible and challenging thinking and the welcome, from him, I always received. He will be very much missed. 

 

Guy Lavender

I have great memories of David when he was the CO and I was his Adjutant. Not only was he a superb person to work for, he was also particularly kind and supportive to me personally – something that I will never forget.

 

Susie Winter

David was Johnny Winter's Adjutant at 10 Para in the mid 80s I know for sure he was much appreciated as a very efficient and intelligent man, besides being full of fun. Over the years we, and Gee, became good friends and we enjoyed merry times enjoying his hospitality and gourmet cooking. His so sudden departing leaves a big hole in my life as he has been so kind to me even leaving delicious meals on my doorstep during lockdown.  That's true friendship for you and leaves such happy memories.

 

Ranald Munro

Very sad. I served in a composite 10 Para company orbatted to 2 Para on Ex: Purple Star. He entrusted us with the lead company on the final assault of the Ex.

 

John Boyd

I was genuinely gob smacked when I read your Airborne Update which informed us of David’s untimely passing. He was the Regimental Adjutant when I joined the Regiment in Dec 1992. He made a huge impression on me in my formative years in the Regiment, and I still have the hand written note he kindly sent (to the most junior of officers) on my commissioning into The Parachute Regiment, which I think spoke volumes to the sort of man (and Officer) he was. 

 

Jon Baker (ABF Museum Curator)

I had only received an email from him on Sunday morning to which I was replying when I received the very sad news.

 

Revd David Cooper

Like everyone who knew David, I was very saddened to hear of his sudden and, to me, unexpected death. He and I had a number of discussions on a variety of matters over the years, including one whilst sharing a shell hole with him on Wireless Ridge throughout intermittent shelling from an Argentine 155mm artillery piece. It couldn't quite match Macmillan's reading of Homer in Greek whilst pinned down in no-man's-land, but it was a good indication of his single-minded approach to any discussion. Some of our discussions stemmed from our quite different standpoints, not just about ethics either; but interestingly enough I can't remember any that involved religion. He was tenacious in his arguments and, I felt, at times not as objective as he could have been, but he was always gracious enough to show great respect for my points of view, and we were always able to meet and part on friendly terms. He always showed respect for what I represented, and I certainly could never ignore his wide reading and informed opinions.  His illness was a shadow that seldom left his shoulders and perhaps he too, like some others from the Regiment, might be considered yet another latter-day casualty of the Falklands conflict.

 

Peter Harclerode

I was deeply saddened to read your email informing everyone of David’s death, I remember him particularly well from 1991 when he very kindly gave me a great deal of help with my account of 2 PARA’s attack on Goose Green in my history of the regiment that was published in the following year, including giving me the written original of his own account as seen through his eyes as RSO. I had occasional contact with him after that, but sadly not for many years. I liked David enormously and we are certainly very much poorer for his passing.

 

John Cole (RAF)

So sad to hear about David. We were good friends at Depot Para, and it is tragic he was taken so young. Coincidently, I have just been reading David Ellis’s book in which both of them were colleague Pl Cdrs in 2 Para.

 

Andy Smith

Deeply gutted to hear about David. He was my CO in 2 PARA for two NI tours. A lovely guy.

 

Phil Russell

David was 6 Platoon Commander in B Company 2 PARA when I first met him in 1976 ... he was a tremendous mentor for me, setting the highest example of integrity, professionalism and concern for his non-commissioned officers and soldiers ... having completed previous tours of duty in Northern Ireland, David was appointed as the B Company Operations Officer for our (1976/77) tour in Divis Flats and Lower Falls (Belfast), then a particularly difficult and dangerous republican area ... in this role, he was wise, calm and highly effective ... his moral courage was tested to the full when, while leading a patrol on a covert surveillance mission in the Lower Falls during the early hours, he believed a civilian had spotted their insertion and, in consequence, and in spite of weeks of preparation, David made the difficult call to abort the operation ... we became close friends on this tour and he was my best man at my wedding on our return to Aldershot ... it was pleasure to serve alongside him again in 1980 during his university vacation when he voluntarily opted to join 2 PARA again while we on a 2 years tour in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland ... typical of David, he opted to spend most of his time on operations with the rifle companies in South Armagh ...  

 

I served alongside David again after the Falklands War when, as the Regimental Officer and Air Adjutant in Southern Belize, he managed the vital communications links between the operations centre and patrols in the jungle and also controlled all helicopter operations (insertions and extractions of foot patrols) ... he was extremely conscientious and professional and never accepted anything less than excellence either by himself or those around him ... David was highly intelligent, widely read and spoke his mind, often challenging conventional wisdom with a forthright approach and determined argument that could make for some uncomfortable reality checks for the chain of command and the diplomatic community ... like many of his comrades, I admired David hugely and I am so very sad that he has left us before his time.

 

Bill Duff

I knew David quite well and we corresponded from time to time. As with us all I was quite shocked at David's sudden passing and I immediately regretted not getting around to calling him for a chat as we had agreed to do not long before lockdown.

 

Jim Chiswell

So sad. He was my OC when I was Cpl Chiswell. We did a Belfast tour together. Simply a really decent man.

 

Peter Ketley

Like many other colleagues in the ABN I was very upset to hear of David’s untimely death. I knew him well and served with him for a number of years, including through the Falklands campaign. He was, quite a unique character with an extraordinary intellect. I am saddened to lose yet another Falklands veteran friend. 

 

Paul Gladston

Just a note on the very sad news of David’s passing.  I was his Ops O in NI when he was OC C Coy 3 Para.  He was a true gentleman and it was a pleasure and privilege to work for and know David. He made a great gin gravy! Sad loss indeed.

 

Sonja Parkinson

I was told by Simon Barry about David Benest passing into Valhalla, it is always such a shock when a friend is no more...I remember him from my first arriving at the officers’ mess in Aldershot in 1977. Many an hour discussing politics...and later when we visited the UK from Kenya always meeting for a lovely boozy lunch in a pub somewhere putting the world to rights...

 

John Ibbotson

I first met David when I was newly commissioned and had gone to Depot to prepare for P Coy. He was one of the few Pl Instrs who were warmly welcoming and encouraging before we had passed the course. He knew I had done a lot of climbing in my past and was keen to do some himself. He called me while I was at Brize and he picked me up to go to North Wales for a couple of WEs. We stayed free of charge in my university hut opposite Cobden’s pub in Capel Curig and I thoroughly enjoyed his company. We had lunch together a few times in the past couple of years. He hadn’t changed.

 

Dewi Winkle

Many thanks, a true gentleman which is reflected in the comments by all ranks on social media.

 

Dr Paul Winter (writer and academic)

I was deeply saddened by the news of David's untimely passing. His compassion, humanity, intellect and, above all, his moral courage were what really marked him out. It was an honour and a privilege to have known him, and I can only pray to God that he will now find the peace that eluded him so very much on earth. He was a highly professional and courageous soldier. RIP David.

 

Hector Gullan
David was a very fine officer, principled and courageous – and highly respected by all ranks in The Parachute Regiment.  He was also a good friend, who sadly in later years struggled with PTSD.

 

Nicholas Mercer (former army lawyer, now priest at Bolton Abbey)
David of course was a regular officer and I was a military lawyer.  I spent a large part of my professional life seeking adherence to the rule of law on the battlefield and it was such an honour to find a soldier of such distinction who held the law in similar esteem. It was a great privilege to have known him for the last six months of his life and I wish we could have worked together more.  I hope that others will join us in seeking to uphold these values and it would be a wonderful legacy to continue his work and aspirations.”

 

Chris Finch
I knew him well as a neighbour, friend, fellow OC in 3 PARA and a 'boss' when he was DEC SP in MOD.
I always enjoyed his intelligent conversation, his breath of views and his often controversial, challenging approach to issues.  He had a firm and well-expressed sense of right and wrong and was so often refreshingly honest where others tended to take a more oblique approach.  I'm sure all of us who knew him will recognise these characteristics. 

 

I was lucky enough to visit him at home in Wiltshire on a few occasions in recent years, and we enjoyed the pleasant walk across the fields to his local pub for lunch before taking the same route back.  Stimulating conversation never flagged throughout, and I remember that amongst his many activities he had become closely involved with a local military history group.  This involvement complemented his many links with academia, and these communities too will be shocked to hear of David's death.

 

Aaron Edwards (author and Senior Lecturer in Defence & International Affairs, Sandhurst)
David was a great friend to me over the past decade or so. We enjoyed lunch in Guildford and Reading regularly and he came to visit me at Sandhurst for the odd conference or talk. He was more than a friend - he was a mentor to me, and I won't ever forget what I learned from him about books, intellectual curiosity, the military, values and principles, leading an active life - the list goes on. It made me better at my job as a lecturer at Sandhurst but much more than that - it made me a decent human being. I have a lot to be thankful for in my friendship with David.
 

Dair Farrar-Hockley
We have known David a very long time — in good times, and through what I might term a prolonged illness. He was importantly a brother officer, a comrade from the battlefields of the Falkland Islands which bound us all together with an invisible thread. He was without doubt a man to whom the concept of service was a driving force, a contributor perhaps to your own comment that he struggled to relax.

 

Apart from taking on the unenviable task of gathering our history together, I admired David’s enterprise. Not only have his many contributions to the British Army Review been long respected, but also his preparedness to fight for causes in which he strongly believed, driven by an acute moral ethic. Whether one agreed or not, few could argue that he had not given considerable thought to the position he espoused: fearless, one might say.  

 

David Chaundler
I was devastated to hear of David all too early death. He was a man that felt things very deeply and I know how he struggled over moral issues and where he considered there were injustices or where justice had not been done. He and I went back to the Falklands where he was a very efficient and conscientious Regimental Signals Officer.  It is much to his credit that, when I took over 2Para, the one area that I had no concerns over was communications.  Though after the Falklands and Belize we did not work again together we remained close friends – not least over his writing of the 2 Para history – and we had regular lunches together in London.  
We also shared many a speaking platform.  He always spoke well and, not surprisingly, was in great demand.
He had a most successful Army career of which commanding 2Para in Northern Ireland must be the pinnacle. Indeed, as I know, he was a most successful and caring Commanding Office and was awarded a very well deserved OBE.

I will always remember David as a very fine Airborne Officer with a very well developed moral compass.  There can be no higher accolade; and my memory of him will be as a young officer in the Falklands tactfully, but firmly, making sure that I was properly aware that communication were vital and what I should be doing about them.  Undoubtedly his early death means that he is yet another Falklands War casualty.
 

Geoff Weighell 
You may recall that David and I served together often throughout almost 40 years, primarily in 2 PARA and the Falklands when we were junior officers, then in RHQ PARA and latterly when, as CO 2 PARA,  I was his 2nd-In-Command.  I often benefitted from his sparkling intellect and insightful advice in this post, especially as we concluded serious business in Northern Ireland and then as we transited back into the Airborne role in Aldershot, USA, et al.  Our paths diverged when I departed Regimental Duty in 1999 for a series of training appointments in UK and overseas.  You will not be surprised to know of the very high esteem in which David was held, both as a Parachute Regiment officer of huge capability and as a staunch comrade and friend who often spoke truth to power in his usual direct, unflinching fashion. He will be very much missed by all those who knew him well and by many more whose acquaintance he made, especially via the Ulysses Trust.  

 

Nigel de Lee (former lecturer at Sandhurst and latterly at the Krigskollen, Oslo)
He had great intellectual capabilities which he cultivated and used to effect, making interesting and useful contributions to studies in many fields. In particular he was active in the field of military ethics where he was able to combine philosophical ideas with practical wisdom based on personal experience and observation. As you know this often brought him into conflict with the proponents of conventional thought, but he had such a degree of integrity that he maintained his views no matter what the strength and fury of the opposition. There are very few who could match this character.

 

He was also absolutely committed to seeking out and propagating the truth, without fear or favour, and to informing those worthy of knowing it. He did this at considerable cost to his own well-being; his work with our kadetts at the Krigskollen was recognised as invaluable by them and by the staff, and he carried on despite the growing strain on his nerves until we had to decide to stop him.  But besides his sense of duty he was always generous with his time and encouragement, and a most hospitable and generous host. He helped me when I was a precarious freelance between Sandhurst and Hull and in need of aid and comfort. He showed promise when on the Captain’s course at Sandhurst and went on to exceed expectations.

 

Alastair Wood (brother of the late David Wood, Adjutant 2 Para, killed in the Falklands)
He was to me a very kind and thoughtful man and with his friendship and connections to my brother I was very pleased to have met him. He must have had to carry quite a heavy burden due to the experiences and thoughts and memories of those past events.

 

John Lorimer
I was very saddened by David’s death. Unexpected and sudden. He and I worked very closely when he was Regimental Adjutant and I was Adjutant 3 PARA. We were also in comms throughout the last 6 years that I have been Colonel Commandant. We often disagreed with each other’s views, but I think that David enjoyed having someone push back occasionally.  A great shame and a very sad Regimental loss.

 

Hamish McGregor
We talked and emailed often and although I didn't always agree with his views he commanded great respect as he put them across so deftly and with such thought one couldn’t fault him. I am really sad that I have lost such a good sparring partner and friend, because we too go back many years. When I was Regt Col of the Parachute Regiment for a period David was my Regtl Adjt. In those days that important post was only held by those who were likely to command one of our regular battalions. To me what shines through the messages received is a very caring man and commander of those who worked for him and an unrivalled intellect which was principled and questioned doubtful actions. We have lost one of our great thinkers and will be the poorer for it.

 

 

Dr Helen Parr (Professor of Modern & Contemporary History at Keele University, and author of Our Boys:
The Story of a Paratrooper)

David helped me such a lot throughout the writing of my book - it was honestly a pleasure to get to know him. He opened opportunities for me, always took time to explain things, and he was kind, thoughtful, and incredibly generous and hospitable. Not to mention the high stock he put by honesty and integrity. It would have been a different book without his help.

 

Ian Gardiner (former Royal Marine, author of The Yompers)
We were in regular and frequent contact and I valued his friendship, his penetrating insights and his gold-plated integrity.

 

John Wilson (former Editor British Army Review)
As a man and a soldier, David was thoughtful and professional. He was not conventionally ambitious in that he never did others down to get on – and he had achieved command of the Second Battalion of the Parachute Regiment a true pinnacle. For me David was a kindly and welcome presence in my life during the time we worked together – and as significantly, in the years that followed. Just a day or so before his death we were sorting out where to meet for lunch. A decent and honourable man and soldier, capable of great good humour. He could see the absurdity in himself and I recall the many occasions that when an anomaly in his argument was pointed out to him that he would break into a broad beaming smile.

 

Phil Neame
David was one of us, but also one of a kind. There has to be room for people like him.