Harry Allen
CWGC headstone
Cemetery
The following has been submitted by Andrew Wallace:-
Harry Vipond Allan (He didn’t use the ‘V’ initial when he enlisted) was born 8.4.1897
He worked pre war at (we think) Woodhorn Colliery as a miner.
He enlisted with the 23rd Northumberland Fusiliers (4th Tyneside Scottish) in Newcastle on or very close to 18th or 19th November 1914. You will note that on enlistment he was under age at 17 yrs and 7 months. His service number was Northumberland Fusiliers 23/683 which he retained until he was killed in action.
Harry fought and was wounded on the first day of the battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916 and this is noted in the St George's Gazette (The Battalion Newspaper).
He then spent some time back in the UK and appears to have been re drafted early in 1917 into the 24th Northumberland Fusiliers (1st Tyneside Irish). We think Harry stayed with the 24th until early 1918 when he was drafted to the 8th Northumberland Fusiliers and subsequently to the 1/5th NF shortly before his death.
Harry was killed on or about 27th May 1918 whilst serving with the 1st 5th N.F. during the great German offensive on the Marne. The Divisional diary states that the 1/5th were wiped out and ceased to exist. The area was lost to the Germans and wasn’t won back until the summer of 1918 when no doubt Harry’s body was discovered and buried.
The family appealed for information through the Red Cross since he was posted missing in action, but none was forthcoming. Harry may have been killed outright or cared for and subsequently died in a German Casualty clearing station and since all of his comrades were also KIA there were no witnesses to his end.
Harry is buried in Marfaux British Cemetery in the Champagne area of France. The setting of the graveyard is simply stunning. It’s very peaceful and surrounded by vineyard and rolling countryside. I enclose a photograph of both Harry and his grave which I visited last year.
As a cross reference, Harry’s cousin Fred Eke is remembered on the memorial at East Hartford and Cramlington.
Cheers: Harry was my Great Uncle.
He is remembered in Ashington on A17.43
His name in the CWGC entry is spelled "Allan" instead of "Allen."