William Robert (Bill) Bennett was born in Durban, South Africa to Australian parents. The family returned to Australia when Bill was a child and he was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and The Southport School before being apprenticed as a fitter and turner. Bennett enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II and he re-joined the RAAF during the Korean War. His war service during earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), and his actions during the Korean War saw a Bar added his DFC, as well as being awarded the United States’ DFC and Air Medal.
During the 1960s Bennett ‘drew on his wartime experiences to write twenty-eight short, action-packed novels based on flying and fighting in the air. While not great literature, the books had a ring of authenticity, taking the reader into the air battle with their technical accuracy and appealing style. Most were translated into other European languages. He also wrote two espionage novels in the early 1970s’ (Australian Dictionary of Biography Online). At this time, Bennett was publisher Horwitz's main air war novelist.
A portrait of Bennett by Sir Ivor Hele is held by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
