Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick Howard Allen 4.Oct 1891 - 2 Jan 1959 lived at 'Glenburn' Payne Street Torwood Brisbane with his wife Jane (Jean) and was a Blacksmith and Farrier. He was 5 foot 9 1/2 inches tall and weight 145 pounds with Hazel eyes and brown hair.

Jean and Howard (as he liked to be called) were married in the Torwood Methodist Church on 29 November 1919. When they were first married they rented a house in Annie Street Torwood Brisbane, then they built a house at 42 Payne Street Torwood with a war service loan and moved there in 1922. The house was built smaller than they intended because of the 1921 depression. Howard worked as a Farrier for a Mr Elder but was dismissed because of a combination of the depression and also the effect that cars were having on the traditional horse drawn vehicles of the day.

Howard was able to gain some work at the Roma Street Markets to support his family with one daughter. He later worked for ESCAS Electrical in their workshop in Edward Street the city, however, when his daughter Jean was 13 years old, he was paid off, having been replaced by two young boys.

He then obtained work at the Brisbane Boys Collega at Kensington Terrace Toowong, where his only time off was at the mid term break and the 6 week Christmas break. The family lived at the college. Their only extra costs was the meat that they could buy through the college at their own butcher. This helped the family to 'get on its feet' as they had little food purchases.

Eventually Howard gained employment at McDonald and East in Brisbane where he was in charge of the lifts and the workmen. He was also a buyer for the public cafe downstairs. On new year's day 1959, Howard and his wife Jane enjoyed a joyful picnic in the Toowong Park with his daughter Jean and her husband Ross and grandchildren Allen and Beth, which was the day before Howard and his wife Jean both died suddenly at home.

On the 2nd January 1959, Howard had locked up everything at McDonald and East and travelled home. He had no dinner that night, as he had been feeling unwell at work. Whilst brushing his teeth, Howard collapsed and died of a stroke. Jane called out for the next door neighbour John to help her. She rang the ambulance but was unable to speak. John found her slumped in the chair. When the ambulance arrived they had to rush back to the vehicle for a resusitator but she was also pronounced dead at the scene. 

At the coroners inquest there was a legal debate as to who had died first, as John was not a 'qualified person'. Their funeral was at the Torwood Methodist church were they were married. They were both cremated and interred side by side at the Mt. Thompson crematorium memorial gardens in Brisbane.

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Frederick Howard Allen was a very keen photographer and took a lot of family photos that have been very useful for family history. He also took his camera with him to war and recorded his time off in Paris and Belgium and England and on the ship coming home. We found the negatives in various places in the house of his daughter and even some glass plates found by his grandson in law David Follett.