Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leonard Charles "Len" Allen (1911–2008)

Early Life

Leonard Charles Allen was born on 16 October 1911 at Port Pirie, South Australia, the son of Frederick James Allen and Daisy McNeil Ferguson. His birth was registered in the Clare district (Book 875, Page 52). He grew up in a working-class family and was employed as a dairyman before the Second World War.

Marriage

On 4 August 1939, Len married Edna Iris Mayfield (1920–2003) at the Office of the Principal Registrar, Flinders Street, Adelaide. Their marriage linked him to the Mayfield–Butler family, a family strongly shaped by military service.

They lived in Croydon and later Glenelg, sharing more than sixty years together.

Military Service

Citizen Military Forces (CMF) – Early Years

29 September 1930: Enlisted in the CMF, Army Service Corps, Service No. 303742.
Re-engaged several times through the 1930s, promoted through Private, Corporal, and Sergeant.

Second AIF – Service Number SX7425

2 July 1940: Enlisted in the 2nd AIF at Adelaide, Service No. SX7425.
Posted to the Army Service Corps, 3rd Supply Column.
Promoted to Acting Lance Corporal (Oct 1940), then Acting Corporal, and by 9 April 1941 to Acting Sergeant.
25 June 1941: Discharged after 359 days, recorded as "services no longer required."

Australian Military Forces – Service Number S2877

26 June 1941: Re-enlisted the following day at Wayville, Service No. S2877.
Served with the A.A.S.C., 8th Sub Area, in logistics and supply roles.
Medical notes record chronic Plantar Callosities (foot condition).
3 February 1944: Discharged on medical grounds, rank Private.

Rank Clarification

During his AIF service (SX7425), Len rose to Acting Sergeant.
In some Army Service Corps units, the appointment of Acting Sergeant was styled as "Lance Sergeant."
Although his later CMF record (S2877) shows him discharged as a Private, the Department of Veterans' Affairs/War Graves accepted his AIF service rank for commemoration.
His official war grave plaque at Golden Grove Cemetery reads:
"SX7425 L/Sgt. L.C. Allen, Service Corps, 5.11.2008, Age 97."
Thus, while his final discharge rank was Private, his highest rank held was Acting Sergeant/Lance Sergeant, which is the designation preserved on his memorial.

Later Life

After discharge, Len returned to civilian life with Edna. They lived in Adelaide, raising family and maintaining close ties with the extended Mayfield–Butler family.

Edna died on 4 April 2003, aged 83, and was buried with her parents at Cheltenham Cemetery.

Len survived her by five years.

Death and Burial

Leonard Charles Allen died on 5 November 2008, aged 97. His death notice appeared in The Advertiser on 13 November 2008.

He was buried at Golden Grove Cemetery, City of Tea Tree Gully, South Australia, with a bronze plaque honouring his service in the Army Service Corps.

Legacy

Len's life stretched across nearly a century:

The son of Port Pirie, shaped by working-class South Australia.
The husband of Edna Iris Mayfield, with whom he shared more than six decades.
A WWII veteran who served both the 2nd AIF and the Citizen Military Forces, under three service numbers (303742, SX7425, and S2877).
A soldier whose highest acting rank of Sergeant/Lance Sergeant is remembered officially on his grave plaque.

Sources

South Australian Birth Registrations – Leonard Charles Allen, 16 Oct 1911 (Book 875, Page 52).
South Australian Marriage Registrations – Allen–Mayfield, 4 Aug 1939 (Book 402, Page 3091).
NAA Service Records – Series B883 (SX7425), B884 (S2877), B4747 (CMF, 1930s).
The Advertiser, 13 Nov 2008 – death notice.
Golden Grove Cemetery Records – burial and war grave plaque.
Cheltenham Cemetery Records – burial of wife Edna Iris Allen.

Biography by Trevor Pyatt 14/09/2025