Allen, Frederick James by Central Coast Council

Gosford District Casualties of World War One Allen, Frederick James Service Number 4728 Died of illness 26th October 1918 Town Hall Hospital, Torquay, United Kingdom

Gosford City Council gratefully acknowledges the voluntary efforts of Benalyn Campbell And Vivienne Tranter in compiling this resource

The information in this file has been extracted from official records held in the The Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia (ÂŠ Commonwealth of Australia [National Archives of Australia] 2013) Further information on this soldier may be found online at: Commonwealth War Graves The AIF project Content advisory: This file may potentially contain disturbing accounts of service-related injury and death, disease and family grief. Adult supervision is recommended for children using these resources. Individual files should be viewed within the context provided by wider research on service conditions in the 1 st AIF. This resource is presented by Gosford City Council for research purposes only. Please note that copyright for resources contained within remains with the original copyright owners.

NAME

ALLEN-Frederick James

SERVICE NO

4728

UNIT

1st Btn, 15th Reinforcements

RANK

Private

DATE OF BIRTH/AGE

PLACE OF BIRTH

London, England

ADDRESS

Royal Hotel Gosford, NSW

OCCUPATION

Engine Driver

DATE OF ENLISTMENT

24 August 1915

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT PREVIOUS SERVICE

Warwick Farm, NSW.

NEXT OF KIN

Father Mr James Allen, 9 Chaplin Rd. Willesden Green. London

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION RELIGION

Church of England

EMBARKED

Sydney-8 March 1916 per A15 “Star of England”

DISEMBARKED NOTES

ILLNESS

POW- 19 July 1916, escaped 11 Sept 1918 Mentioned in Despatches 'For gallant conduct and determination displayed in escaping, or attempting to escape, from captivity.' Awarded, and promulgated, 'London Gazette' No. 31759 (30 January 1920); 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 38 (29 April 1920). 19 Oct 1918- Influenza & Bronchial Pneumonia

DIED

26 Oct 1918 –Town Hall Hospital Torquay (War Hospital Exeter).

BURIED

30 Oct 1918-Torquay Cemetery Sec M No 14991-by Rev E A Toulouse- Undertaker Mr J Gilbert of Torquay- Coffin-Good Polished Elm-Relatives & Friend present at funeral- father Mr J Allen, Mother Mrs A Allen, Sister Miss F Allen,- Mr W H Cowley, Margaret Cowley & 2 Nurses & 50 patients from the hospital . The deceased soldier was accorded a full Military funeral, Firing Party, Bugler & Pallbearers being in attendance. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack, and surrounded with several beautiful wreaths sent from;- OC & Staff from Town Hall Hospital, Mrs Ricketts Torquay, Mother & Father, Brothers & Sister in Law, Miss Murray Prior Torquay. A large number of relations and friends were present at the graveside, and the burial service was conducted by the Rev E A Toulouse C of E. The grave will be turfed and an oak cross erected by the AIF London. Administrative Headquarters AIF London were represented at the funeral. British War Medal-58841, Victory Medal-57761. Memorial Plaque & Scroll 353800.

MEDALS DEPENDANTS PERSONAL EFFECTS

1 Combination Knife Fork & Spoon

WILL CORRESPONDENCE REMARKS RED CROSS REPORT

SERVICE RECORDS CONTAINS FULL REPORT OF SOLDIERS CAPTURE & ESCAPE

GOSFORD TIMES 2.11.1916. Prisoner of War. Mr G. Bently of the TIMES staff, is in receipt of a post card from Private F. J. Allen (who prior to enlistment was employed as a cleaner at the local railway station) which shows that he is a prisoner of war in Germany. Fred states that he is in the best of health and jogging along as usual. He sends kindest regards to all Gosford friends.

GOSFORD TIMES 9.1.1919 Private Fred Allen. Private Fred J. Allen, who, prior to enlisting, was attached to Gosford railway staff, was a prisoner in Germany but succeeded to making his escape:Writing to Mr Givney from Quarantine Camp, Didam, in Holland, under date 20th September, Private Allen says:- You will no doubt be glad to hear of my reaching the “Promised land “ on Tuesday, 17 th September, in the early hours. Three of us – a Canadian, an Englishman, and myself – first escaped on Wednesday night, 11th September, about 9.15 o’clock, and from then the fun started. We were on the way to the border six nights in all, while we laid up during the day, but we had a rough time of it as it rained during the day only on five days, making a sleep a thing of the past. We travelled by compass all the way, and covered in all about 125 kilometres, eventually succeeding in eluding the guards on the frontier. Adventures we had plenty, both funny and startling, too long to relate in a letter. After a fortnight in quarantine here we shall probably move on to England, where, after visiting my mother and father, I shall rejoin my Unit.

GOSFORD TIMES 16.1.1919. In last issue we published a letter from Private Fred Allen written after his escape from Germany where he had been for many months a prisoner of war. We since learn he died from influenza in England.

CUMBERLAND ARGUS 5.9.1914. P.10. In a Non-Smoker Frederick Allen appeared in answer to a summons charging him with having, on 24th July, been guilty of smoking in a non-smoking second class railway carriage. A further information charged him with having, on the same date, made use of offensive words to a railway official. He pleaded guilty. Inspector Anderson, of the Railway Department, explained that the defendant was a passenger by the 5.37 p.m. train from Sydney to Gosford as far as Hornsby. The ticket examiner found him smoking in a non-smoking carriage, and, on drawing his attention to the fact that he was committing a breach of the bylaws, the defendant made use of the language complained of. It was particularly strong, too. The inspector added that the number of prosecutions that had taken place recently had had the effect of greatly minimising offences of smoking in non-smokers. For the first offence the defendant was fined 10s, with 6s costs, or seven days’ imprisonment in default; and for the second, 20s with 6s costs, or 14 days’ imprisonment.

CUMBERLAND ARGUS 15/4/1916. P.8 RAILWAY HONOR ROLL There is on view, in a local business window, an artistically-illiminated and handsomely-framed honor roll, portraying the names of “The members of the Hornsby branch of the Engine-drivers’, Firemens’ and Cleaners’ Association of N.S.W. on active service for King and country.” The names on the roll, which have been capably lettered by Mr George Boardman , are as follows:- Norman Jackson (first to enlist, 13/8/1914, lieutenant, nominated on merit), Cecil Poll, Richard Hugdon, William Baker, Bert Clark, Frederick Austin, Hugh Maguire, Victor Bowen, Horace Watts, Robert Watson, Alfred Walters, Thomas Turner, Phillip Redding, William Meehan, James Hunter, Reginald Chapman, Frederick Allen and Leslie Stimpson. The honor roll in this form was the idea of the genial secretary of the branch (Mr D. Elliott), and it will be decided at a pending meeting where it will be hung. The Hornsby branch has a membership of 78, so the number who have left for the front (17) makes a very fair percentage. The association throughout the state has sent 25 per cent, of its members to the front.

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3029567

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3029567

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3029567

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3029567

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3029567