Edward Armstrong Bennet was born in Poyntzpass, near Armagh in Northern Ireland, on 21 October 1888. He was educated at Campbell College, Belfast, and studied philosophy and theology at Trinity College, Dublin, where he obtained an honours degree in philosophy. After further studies at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, he was ordained in the Church of England. At the outbreak of the First War he joined the Sixth Northants Regiment as their chaplain, and in 1915 he was awarded the M.C. for conspicuous bravery. The experiences of the war led him to return afterwards to Trinity College where he qualified in medicine in 1925. Later, in 1939, he was awarded the Sc.D. by the same college.<br>From the start of his medical career Dr. Bennet’s interest lay in psychiatry. Soon after 1925 he moved to London and joined the staff of the Tavistock Clinic; he also took up an appointment at the West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases, and within a few years was lecturing regularly on psychological medicine. His work was characterised by a deep concern for people and their suffering – which is probably the basic motivation of all really good doctors.