Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick Edward Allen was born on 18th June 1895 in Somerset, England, near the town of Tiverton. His religious denomination was the Church of England. Allen’s father’s name was Edward Ernest Allen born in 1874 and died in 1934 and his mother’s name was Mary Ellen Allen (née Spillane) who was born in 1875 and died in 1941. Allen was the eldest of five siblings. He had three sisters and two brothers. Ellen Florence Allen, Louisa Lily Allen, Edith Rose Allen, John Charles F Allen, and Arthur Ernest Allen. Allen was a full-time labourer prior to his occupation in the war. On the 15th of September 1911, he migrated to South Australia (SA) from London on the OTWAY ship and established his residence at 5 Barrett Road, Clapham, South Australia.

Frederick Allen enlisted on the 25th of May, 1915 in Adelaide, Australia, when he was 21 years and 2 months old. He was living in Adelaide at the time and his complexion was fresh, he had grey eyes and brown hair. He was 5’9 ½ feet tall and weighed 159 pounds. Allen joined the 27th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement as a private. The Battalion was established in Ascot Park, Adelaide on the 16th of April, 1915. It was later transferred to a new camp located in Mitcham. On the 26th of August, 1915, Allen’s unit embarked the RMS Morea from Adelaide, SA and set sail for Egypt, Gallipoli and the Western Front in France and Belgium in different periods where they trained and served. Following weeks of basic training, Allen and his unit embarked on the HMAT Geelong on the 31st of May 1915 for overseas training in Egypt.

Four months later, the Battalion landed at Gallipoli and served there until December 1915. During that period, living conditions became worse and personal hygiene levels fell. Many men became ill, which led to diseases such as typhoid (also known as enteric fever which is a bacterial disease that travelled through food, water, and close contact with individuals). As a consequence, several evacuations with numerous individuals returning to Australia occurred. Two casualties included the Commanding Officer and the Lieutenant Colonel. After they evacuated Gallipoli, the battalion was transferred to the Western Front. The Battalion participated in two attacks to the east of Flers in the Somme Valley. Allen was admitted to the hospital twice during the war. The first time he was admitted to 15 General Hospital on the 16th of January, 1916 due to an unknown reason. He re-joined the unit on the 5th of March, 1916. The first battle confronting the 27th Battalion was at the battlefield of Somme in April 1916 in France. On the 23rd of April, 1916 Allen was admitted to 26 General Hospital, due to influenza and re-joined the unit on the 6th of July, 1916. Joining the 28th Battalion, the 27th were the first Australian troops on the front line in the Somme Valley. As a result, the 27th Battalion lost five officers, seventy-two other ranked officers were killed, one hundred and thirty-six other ranks were wounded, and seventy-five were listed as missing in action. On the 4th of August, 1916, Allen was wounded in action in France and embarked on the H.S. (Hospital Ship) Manama with a wounded arm at Le Havre for England on the 9th of August, 1916. The Battalion fought near Pozieres (a small town in France) between the 28th of July and the 5th of August as part of the Second Division Australian Imperial Force (AIF), along with the First and Fourth Divisions. This resulted in 23,000 Australian casualties and 6,800 deaths due to severe wounds. The Battalion concluded in Steenvorde, France and remained there until the 5th of October 1917 and returned to Somme on the 16th of October 1917, when they boarded a train for St Lawrence Camp. In Steenvorde, they boarded a train destined for Ypres, with the Brigade’s remaining officers. On the 27th of October, they arrived in Dernancourt for further training before heading to the Front near Le Barque. The 27th Battalion attacked the enemy located in Bayonet Trench. The Battalion’s final effort was intended to break through the Beaurevoir Line in early October 1918.

The 27th Battalion took part in several battles: the majority of battles were located in France. Allen upheld the role of Lance Corporal, which was a junior non-commissioned officer, responsible for leading a small group of soldiers. Following the end of the war, Allen returned home on the 13th of April, 1919. He received three medals: the 1914-15-star, the British war medal, and a victory medal.

Allen was not married pre-war, however, married Olive Mavis Hicks post-war (possibly her surname from her first marriage (née Bawhey)) on the 19th of September, 1936. Frederick Edward Allen passed at the age of 71 years, on the 8th of December, 1966 and was buried at the South Australian Garden of Remembrance in Pasadena, Mitcham City, SA.