George ALLEN, Long Buckby, Northants, UK

[Paul in the Somme]

I found a George ALLEN on the Long Buckby WW1 war memorial.

I know that members of my family lived in Long Buckby and I am interested in finding out about this gentleman.

I have done lots of research in the past mainly on Australian service men and now realise how good their info is.

I spent this afternoon wallowing about on UK websites without getting anywhere.

I wonder if some kind soul could give me a hand

Regards

Paul

[Pompey]

Hi Paul,

there are 27 war dead named George Allen on the CWGC site from the UK and if you add in a potential middle name it jumps to over 100.  Being a fairly common name with out more details such as age, place of birth, year of death or preferably Regiment it will be a long search. I will spend some more time looking for clues and see if we can't narrow it down!

Regards

Pompey

[Terry_Reeves]

From  the 1911 census: Born circa 1894, Long Buckby. Resided King St, Long Buckby.  Bootmaker. Step son of of William and Julia Cooper.

TR

Edited 23 March , 2023 by Terry_Reeves

[adrian 1008]

Or... As he is commemorated on the Long Buckley war memorial (From FMP)

George (Fred)Allen Born May 1893  attended Long Buckley infant school, father Fred Allen Mother maiden name Snedker

but then the path goes cold

[Paul in the Somme]

Hello Pompey, Terry and Adrian

Thank you very much for the interest that you have shown.

I would just like to add a bit of background to my request. I moved to France with my job in 1994 and have lived here ever since. I first visited the Battlefields of the Somme soon after I arrived and the visit had an effect on me that lasted many days. Since that time I have visited many times, at least a hundred times. I am always drawn to Lochnagar crater in La Boisselle. I have been to the 0730hrs ceremony on the 1st July many times and have had the honour of meeting Richard Dunning MBE and many of his noble team of volunteers. I have worked on different projects and guided friends and people I have met from around the world around the battlefields. 

I have done some research on my family but I have never done any research on their involvement in WW1.

So I thought it was time to start. 

A quick comment to Pompey, I have since found the same list of George ALLENS on CWGC. George ALLEN's name on the memorial suggests he was from Long Buckby so I excluded all George ALLEN names whose parents lived far from Northamptonshire, this left me with 11 names. I excluded units with a geographical link and narrowed it down to 4 possibles. I realise that my quick and dirty sorting may need to be revisited if I don't find my man.

I am very excited to see that the last George ALLEN on the list was with a tunnelling Company. He was one of eight who died on the first of June when stationed in Méaulte.

A comment to Terry, I also found this info on George ALLEN:

Comment for Adrian on the Memorial I only saw his name. Could you please advise what FMP is

Thanks again for you help

 

[Paul in the Somme]

...and again to Terry, if George ALLEN was born in 1893 to parents Frederick and Julia ALLEN, but was a stepson to William and Julia COOPER on the 1911 census it seems that Julia remarried; 

[busterfield]

In ancestry there is a private photo of George Allen DOB 27/april/1893 which has a date of death as 16/11/1918 where the wife's address is given as daventry.

 

[Paul in the Somme]

Thanks Busterfield, DOB 27 April 1893 corresponds to George Allen son of Frederick and Julia (stepson of William and Julia Cooper).

[adrian 1008]

2 hours ago, Paul in the Somme said:

Hello Pompey, Terry and Adrian

Thank you very much for the interest that you have shown.

I would just like to add a bit of background to my request. I moved to France with my job in 1994 and have lived here ever since. I first visited the Battlefields of the Somme soon after I arrived and the visit had an effect on me that lasted many days. Since that time I have visited many times, at least a hundred times. I am always drawn to Lochnagar crater in La Boisselle. I have been to the 0730hrs ceremony on the 1st July many times and have had the honour of meeting Richard Dunning MBE and many of his noble team of volunteers. I have worked on different projects and guided friends and people I have met from around the world around the battlefields. 

I have done some research on my family but I have never done any research on their involvement in WW1.

So I thought it was time to start. 

A quick comment to Pompey, I have since found the same list of George ALLENS on CWGC. George ALLEN's name on the memorial suggests he was from Long Buckby so I excluded all George ALLEN names whose parents lived far from Northamptonshire, this left me with 11 names. I excluded units with a geographical link and narrowed it down to 4 possibles. I realise that my quick and dirty sorting may need to be revisited if I don't find my man.

I am very excited to see that the last George ALLEN on the list was with a tunnelling Company. He was one of eight who died on the first of June when stationed in Méaulte.

A comment to Terry, I also found this info on George ALLEN:

Comment for Adrian on the Memorial I only saw his name. Could you please advise what FMP is

Thanks again for you help

 

FMP= Find my Past one of the many genealogy websites

[clk]

Hi Paul,

7 hours ago, Paul in the Somme said:

I am very excited to see that the last George ALLEN on the list was with a tunnelling Company.

I don't think that he is your man, as he appears to have had parents (Eliza, and Thomas[?]) who lived in Nottingham.

Image sourced from Fold3

7 hours ago, busterfield said:

 

 

That man has a short one page service record which is available as a free download from the National Archives - link.

Regards
Chris

[Paul in the Somme]

17 hours ago, clk said:

Hi Paul,

I don't think that he is your man, as he appears to have had parents (Eliza, and Thomas[?]) who lived in Nottingham.

Image sourced from Fold3

That man has a short one page service record which is available as a free download from the National Archives - link.

Regards
Chris

Thanks Chris, I have often wondered what drew me to the Lochnagar crater; I thought it might have been this gentleman, oh well, back to the drawingboard.

[BoltonLad]

Hi Paul,

I just spotted this thread while browsing for something else. It sparked my interest as I have lived in King Street, Long Buckby for the last six years!  

The local history society has published Men from Long Buckby and Buckby Wharf who served in the First World War. In that publication the entry for George Allen reads as follows:

George Allen was born 27 April 1893 in Long Buckby. His parents were Fred and Julia Allen. His father Fred died when George was a young boy and his mother remarried to William Cooper. In 1911 George was living with his mother Julia and his stepfather William in King Street. He was working as a bootmaker.

George enlisted in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves on 16 June 1916 as an Able Seaman, Service No. Bristol Z/5190 and served until the end of the war, his final posting being on SS Princess Thyra. 

He died at the 2nd Eastern General Hospital, Brighton from influenza, probably Spanish Flu. At the time of his death his wife Daisy Kathleen Allen, was living at 32 Sheaf Street, Daventry. He is buried in Brailes Churchyard, near Banbury.

National Roll 1914-1918

Allen G Gunner Royal Navy

He joined in June 1916 and was and was posted to HMS Princess Thyra on board which he was engaged on patrol and other duties in the English Channel until November 1918. He was entitled to the General Service Medal and the Victory Medal.

'Steals on the ear the distant triumph song'

4 West View, Long Buckby.

I hope that this information is of use to you.

[Paul in the Somme]

Hi BoltonLad

Thank you very much for your post.

This helps me to plug some gaps.

Hope you are enjoying life in Long Buckby

Regards

Paul

[BoltonLad]

1 minute ago, Paul in the Somme said:

Hi BoltonLad

Thank you very much for your post.

This helps me to plug some gaps.

Hope you are enjoying life in Long Buckby

Regards

Paul

Yes, it's a lovely village!