John Lintill Aborn Allen

This story and photos are shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher with additional information courtesy of the Archivist, Felsted School

John Lintill Aborn Allen was born in Cork, Ireland on 1st February 1923, the eldest son of the Reverend Francis John and Winifred Margaret Allen (née Aborn). By 1928 they had moved to UK where John's father first served as the Vicar of Ulgham, Northumberland before being appointed to be Rector of Doddinghurst, Essex by the Bishop of Chelmsford on Thursday, 8th of November 1928. They lived at The Rectory, Doddinghurst with their daughter, Margaret and son, John.

The 1939 Register shows that he was a boarder at Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex and that he was in the school cadet force with a rank of Lance Corporal. He attend the school between 1937 and 1940.

The school has this letter to his parents which he wrote shortly after arriving. He was 13 at the time:

21st January 1937
Dearest Mummy and Daddy
I hope you got home all right night before last. The boys here are nearly all decent chaps. This morning (20th) we had Chapel. After Chapel Mr Bickersteth had a word with the new boys (there are about 15 of us) and then we went to the museum and waited till we were one by one tested by the music-master for the choir. Then we were sent to the room in which our form was working after that. After that we had dinner, and now I am waiting on my bed at rest. I have not asked about you coming to see me yet, but if you are permitted to, I think it would be better not to come for the first few weeks. Of course, I'd like you to come awfully, but I think it would be best not to till I have settled down. You know why? It is a very big place here at school house, but I know my way about in places. I am looking forward to next hols. I don't know when we break up, though.
Thank you very much for your letter Daddy. I am feeling rather homesick, but please don't let let Mr Bickersteth know, because he said it was best to write cheerfully home, but I never hide anything from you both. I shall love going to Uncle Tom with you next hols. It will be lovely to be home again. I will let you know when we break up. I hope the term passes quickly. I expect I won't mind it so much later on. We are playing hockey this term. Silly game! I wish we had rugger, better still cricket, but that would be impossible.
I hope you will have had a good journey to Oxford and back when you get this letter at home, Mummy.

Writing again soon
Lots of love from
John

School records reveal he was a keen sportsman and played in the school's athletics, rugby, hockey and cricket teams. The photo below was taken after they had won their rugby match 6-3 against King's Canterbury in 1939.

Felsted Rugby 1st XV, 18 November 1939. John Allen stands in the back row, second from the left

 

John Allen was the only Felstedian they know of who died in the D-Day assault. He enlisted with the Royal Armoured Corps in 1942 and was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant in 22nd Dragoons. He served as a Tank Commander with C Squadron and his crew were:

Commander: Lieutenant John Lintill Aborn Allen
Driver Operator (co-driver): L/Cpl John William Rolfe James
Gunner Operator (gun loader): L/Corporal Pummall
Gunner Mechanic (gunner): Trooper Walter Gordon McShand
Driver Mechanic (driver): Trooper Robert Albert Thomas

They landed on Sword Beach on D-Day in a Sherman V Crab Mark I Flail as part of No. 4 Breaching team.  They were first off the Landing Craft. Captain Pollard, 79 Assault Squadron, Royal Engineers, wrote in the summary of the breaching operations:

"LCT touched down in about 4 ft 6 in of water at about 150x WEST of pill box SKATE.
Lt ALLEN drove off craft and flailed through first row of obstacles. There were no mines, so he went up to HWM (high water mark) and stopped prior to flailing. There the flail was hit by fire from a fd (field) gun in SKATE."

The diary entry for Captain Clifford described what happened next:

"John Allen’s tank hit on water coming ashore and set on fire! Crew(?) bailed out and machine gunned in water. John missing and likewise his crew. Rumour that he and others evacuated UK last night but no confirmation. Pray that its true."

Unfortunately, his hope was not to be realised. Captain Wheway takes up the story:

"Lt Allen had 3 88mm AP straight through into the turret, and all but Cpl Pummall are killed. Wounded and burnt Pummall succeeds in getting into the sea, and is picked up by a L.C.A."

Sergeant James Arthur “Timber” Wood who was Troop Sergeant and second in command to Lt Allen, described what happened to the gun that had fired on Lt Allen's tank:

"At this point I decided to investigate what had happened on our second lane and found Cpl Rains who was on foot and looking for me. He informed me that Lt Allen’s tank had been hit almost as soon as he left the LCT. His tank had almost immediately brewed up and he feared that all the crew of five had perished. News which was shattering but half expected. Cpl Rains had made good a single tank width lane and from there engaged and destroyed the gun which had taken Lt Allen’s tank."

John Allen was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions on D-Day, which was published in the London Gazette on 10 May 1945 and he is commemorated in the Felsted School WW2 Book of Remembrance.