ALLEN, Leonard James
| Service Number: | 1303 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 December 1914, Place of Enlistment, Brisbane, Queensland. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 8 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Cairns, Cairns, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Townsville State School, Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Engine Driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 1 October 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cairns Cenotaph, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1303, 9th Infantry Battalion, Place of Enlistment, Brisbane, Queensland. | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1303, 9th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1303, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Brisbane |
Leonard James Allen
Leonard James Allen was born on the 24 March 1892 to John James Allen and Elizabeth Ann Stillman. There were 3 brothers whose births were recorded, William James born 1889, Arthur Stanley 1897 and died in 1898, Henry Dean born in 1901 and died in 1901. There were 2 other brothers though who had made contact with the AIF regarding Leonard, Robert Allen who was a Chief Petty Officer, and John Allen. Leonard’s mother Elizabeth Ann died in 1904. Leonard James Allen enlisted in Brisbane on the 4 December 1914 at the age of 24 years 8 months. He was employed as an Engine Driver and named his father, Mr J J Allen of Townsville, as his next of kin, this was later changed to his brother Jack Allen, Mulgrave Road, Cairns. He was 5 feet 8 inches in height, weighed 150 lbs with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He was Church of England. He embarked from Brisbane on 13 February 1915 on the HMAT Seang Bee for the Gallipoli campaign. After several admissions to hospital on Lemnos and in Egypt he rejoined the 9th Battalion at Gallipoli on 10 July 1915. After several more admissions to hospitals in Malta he was transferred to London for treatment on 10 October 1915. He returned to Egypt on 23 April 1916 then transferred to the British Expeditionary Force and arrived in Marseilles France on 9 June 1916. He was wounded in action on 3 October that year and admitted to 13th Australian Field Ambulance then moved several times for treatment finally being discharged on 27 October 1916. He returned to the field on 2 December 1916. He was again admitted to hospital on 5th December that year, eventually being transferred to London for treatment. He returned to France on 9 March but was struck down with influenza on 16 June. He rejoined his unit on 5 August 1917 and was killed in action on 1 October 1917. Initially, he was reported buried at Bellewarde Ridge Military Cemetery. Bellewaarde Ridge Cemetery, Zonnebeke was a little way North East of Bellewaarde Lake, it contained the graves of 17 soldiers from Australia and 11 from the United Kingdom who fell in September and October 1917. Leonard James Allen is remembered at Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
Courtesy of The Cairns District Family History Society
Submitted 19 March 2021 by Lynette Turner
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