Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

​Son of James and Sarah ALLEN
Of 'Khyber' Diver Street, Claremont WA
Husband of Alice Mary ALLEN
Of Mundaring, WA

The three sons of James and Sarah Allen, all married, all died in France and Belgium. All three are remembered on the Beverly War Memorial in WA.

4744 Private Owen Moore Allen 16th Battalion AIF was killed in action 31 August 1916, age 28.  He was the husband of Alice Mary Allen of Claremont, Western Australia. Owen has no known grave and his name is remembered on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial in France. He was a wood cutter in civilian life, and lived at Smith’s Mill which is now known as Glenn Forest, a suburb of Perth.

He only joined the 16th Battalion in France 12 days before he was reported missing then later confirmed as being killed in action on the 31 August 1916, just near Mouquet Farm. A Reverend Lenthall G. Dickenson, D.S.O. (Vicar of Downton, Salisbury 1910-16, and Senior Chaplain to the 25th Division British Army 1916-17), reported that he had buried Allen. However, his grave was never found after the war.

In 1929, the handle of a shaving brush with the initials “O.A.” and upper and lower sets of false teeth were found on the remains of an unknown Australian soldier, exhumed from an isolated grave near Mouquet Farm. The CWGC informed the AIF who subsequently wrote to his wife, “…after careful investigation, it is ascertained there were only two casualties bearing initials O.A. in this area. 319 H.O. ARGENT 21/AIF (26.8.1916) and 4744 O.M. ALLEN 16/AIF (31.8.1916) and as the first named has a grave in Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery, in the circumstances there would appear little reason to doubt that the remains of the unknown soldier, are actually those of your husband, and in order to obtain conclusive evidence of this I should be glad of your advice as to whether the late Pte. Allen was in possession of false denture sets as described. The favor of your prompt attention and reply will be appreciated in order that the necessary steps may be taken to register the grave accordingly and proceed with the erection of a permanent headstone.”

Owen Moore’s wife Mrs. Alice Allen replied, “Having received your letter concerning my husband and his possession of false teeth, I have to inform you he had no denture sets at all and as to the shaving brush I do not know. He had a wristlet watch given to him from myself with his name on the inside.”

The remains were buried in the Serre Road Cemetery No.2.in Plot XXVIII, Row B, Grave 2, over which the headstone still reads “An Unknown Australian Soldier”.

An older brother 5794 Private Robert Allen 28th Battalion AIF only joined his unit in France in January 1917, before he was mortally wounded in action on the 26th March 1917. He died the next day in a Field Ambulance, aged 30. Robert Allen was the husband of Florence Beatrice Allen of Fremantle, Western Australia. He is buried in the Pozieres British Cemetery, France, very close to where Owen Allen was lost on the battlefield.

A third and youngest brother, 3026 Private Ernest Allen 48th Battalion, was also killed in action in Belgium 12th October 1917. He was 27 years old and the husband of Rosetta Allen, of Beverley, Western Australia. He is buried in the Buttes New British Cemetery Polygon Wood Zonnebeke (Plot VI, Row C, Grave No 14). A witness stated that he was blown to pieces by a shell which struck him at about 7am just after they had reached their objective.