Stanley Fairgrieve Allen
Born 17 May 1897 - Died 15 Jul 1942
- Service number
- WWII 4005 AWMM
- Also known as
- Soldier Sam Allen AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- Brigadier/Military AWMM 21 (Auckland) Infantry Battalion AWMM
- War
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Stanley Fairgrieve AWMM
- Surname
- Allen AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- Soldier Sam Allen AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 4005 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 17 May 1897 AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- WW2 Unknown AWMM Army Office, Hamilton, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
- WW2 Mrs Florence MacDonald Allen (wife), 11 Shirley Street, Karori, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 05 Jan 1940 AWMM Married AWMM
Married, 3 children AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
- 1919-1920 AWMM Waziristan 1919–1920 AWMM
- Sinai & Palestine AWMM
- Western Desert AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 4005 AWMM
- Military service
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) AWMM
OBE. For service in Greece, London Gazette 30th December 1941, "Was in charge of the Signal Services of NZ Division throughout the campaign in Greece; and his indomitable courage and determined resource resulted in communciations being maintained and lines kept open despite the heavy strain of withdrawal." Beattie and Pomeroy, p. 12 AWMM - Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
- War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- India General Service 1909 (Waziristan 1919-21 clasp) AWMM
- Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- Duntroon AWMM
- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- Unknown AWMM Army Officer/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Major/Military AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Brigadier/Military AWMM
21 (Auckland) Infantry Battalion AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Stanley Allen was the son of George and Agnes Allen, of Liverpool, England; husband of Florence MacDonald Allen, of Wellington City, New Zealand.
Stanley Allen attended King's College, Auckland from 1906 to 1915. He trained at Duntroon Military College (Australia) and served in India on the north-west frontier. Returning to England he trained as a signalling officer in Yorkshire and came to New Zealand in January 1929 being appointed Area Officer at Hamilton with the rank of captain. He was a member of the First Echelon to the Middle East and Divisional Signals Officer.
He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire)
Stanley Allen commanded 21 Battalion from 7 December 1941. At the time of his death they were taking part in the Defence of Egypt. The battle was at Reweisat Ridge. An account of the fighting is recorded in the Official History which quotes from Staff-Sergeant Philip's writings:
'[Ten minutes after we started] an Italian soldier joined up with us giving us some Nestles chocolate and a cold cocoa drink [then] four more Italians thrust themselves upon us insisting on going back with us. [Shortly afterwards we heard] voices ahead [and]I investigated, taking one of our prisoners on my bayonet. We had run into a strong point overlooked in our advance and I was set upon by several Italians. I was bayonetted and shot through the knee and chin [Colonel Allen received four bullets in the chest and died about 3 p.m.]...' (p. 176) AWMM
About death
- Death
- 15 Jul 1942 AWMM
Age 45 AWMM - Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
- Killed in Action AWMM
- Death notes
- Notes from J Marshall, Capt.
1. At noon on 15 July 1942 I saw Col. Allen at a wounded collecting posPublic - Paul Allen - Other Relative - 22 February 2015 - Two sheets of typed up letters, it isnt clear that they were from J Marshall Capt. but in them, prior to this entry there is the introduction 'One of the most moving items in these letters was a pencil note on a couple of scraps of paper from a notebook, which read as follows:'
The two sheets areretained amongst my mother's private posessions, she is Audrey Burleigh, Col Allen's youngest daughter.
In one of the following letters of July 17 '42 there is also the entry 'I am very upset over dear old Sam Allen's death and have just written a hurried line to Cherry (Allen's wife) He was shot through the lung during an attack early on the morning of 15 July and died in the afternoon. We are paying a heavy price in fine fellows.' - Cemetery
- El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt AWMM XXX. H. 1 AWMM
- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories AWMM
- King's College Memorial Chapel at King's College, Otahuhu, Auckland, World War 1 Roll of Honour.Public - King's College Archive - Researcher - 15 May 2026 - King's College Memorial Chapel
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Cody, J. (1953). 21 Battalion. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-21Ba.html
Sources Used - Obituary: Evening Post, 31 July 1942
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19420731.2.47.4&srpos
Further Reference - New Zealand Electronic Text Collection topic page
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/name-010332.html
Further Reference - Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2091971
Sources Used - Wikidata Entity
http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q12803436
Further Reference - https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/stanley-fairgrieve-allenPublic - Alison - Direct descendant - 19 September 2023 - New Zealand War Graves
- Cody, J. (1953). 21 Battalion. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- References
- Cody, J. F., & New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs War History Branch. (1953). 21 Battalion. Wellington, N.Z. : War History Branch, Dept. of Internal Affairs.
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 1 (Embarkations to 31st March, 1940). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 1: WW2 7 - The Evening Post
- Auckland Museum. Roll of Honour, Auckland Province, 1939 - 1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/139.
- Borman, C. (1954). Divisional Signals. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Beattie, P.J. and Pomeroy, M.J. (2016). Gallant Acts and Noble Deeds: New Zealand army honours and awards for the Second World War. Auckland, N.Z.: Fair Dinkum Publications.; P.J. Beattie and M.J. Pomeroy, 2016.
p. 12 - McClymont, W. (1959). To Greece. Wellington, N.Z.: Department Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Research relating to New Zealand personnel in the Waziristan campaign kindly provided by Wing Commander Mark Brewer, RNZAF (2026).
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