9th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment). Regimental number 29393.
Early life:
George’s parents were Thomas Allan and Sarah Elizabeth Allan née Mitchell who were married on the 7th of September 1872 at St. Peter’s Church in Bradford (Bradford Cathedral). Thomas was 24 and a moulder, living at Horton. Sarah was 21 and a weaver living at Bradford.
In 1881 they were living at 7, Norcroft Row, Horton in Bradford. Thomas was aged 30 and still a moulder, Sarah was at home looking after the children who were Mary A. aged eight, Clara aged five, William aged two and Harry aged just ten months. Mary and Clara were attending school.
Harry appears to have died young. In the time between census records, Edith, Francis, Thomas and George were born in Keighley, so they must have moved there in the couple of years after the 1881 census. Edith was born in 1882, Francis in 1885, Thomas in 1886 and George in 1887.
George appears to have been born in the last quarter of 1887, registered at Keighley and was only aged three when his mother Sarah died at the age of 40 in 1891, shortly before the census when they were living at 89, Sun Street in Keighley..
Thomas was left to raise all the children alone, although no doubt Mary and Clara helped as they were 19 and 16, respectively. Thomas was 41 and employed as a brass moulder, Mary a worsted rover, Clara a worsted spinner and Willie aged 12 was a worsted doffer. Edith aged nine, Francis aged six, Thomas aged five and George aged three would need looking after during the day, although Edith and Francis would probably have been attending school. Tough times for a family of eight with no mother.
Unsurprisingly Thomas remarried quite quickly, to Mary Ann Clarkson. They marriage was at St. Andrew’s Church in Keighley on the 24th of April 1897. Thomas and Mary Ann were both widowed as her husband William Clarkson had died. Thomas was 44 and a moulder living at 7, Alkincote Street, Mary Ann was 39 and living at 2, Mary Street and her father was Mark Blackburn (deceased). Neither were literate as they both used a cross to sign in the marriage record.
In the 1901 census George was aged 13 and a worsted spinner living at 7, Alkincote Street in Keighley with his father Thomas aged 50 and step-mother Mary A. aged 42. His siblings were William aged 22, a jobbing iron moulder; Thomas aged 15, a labourer in an iron works; Frances aged 16, a worsted spinner. Also boarding here was David Clarkson who was 24 and a labourer at an iron works. He was Mary Ann’s son and technically, Thomas’s step-son.
George’s sister Edith is not present but she would have been aged 19 at that time.
In 1911 George has moved out of the family home. He is living with 36 year old Clara Ellison and 41 year old Herbert Ellison (Clara is his eldest sister, married for 14 years with no children) George is now aged 23 and employed as a blacksmith’s striker by a gas and oil engine makers.
By comparison, George’s father Thomas was now aged 64 and a retired moulder (from a brass, steel and iron foundry) whilst his step-mother Mary was 53 and a confectionery shop keeper on her own account and (at home,) which means her confectionery shop was where they were living at 11, Beck Street in Keighley. All of these buildings are now gone, and the site faces Morrison’s Supermarket car park and petrol station.
George was aged 27 when he married 26 year old Mary Holmes at St. Peter’s Church in Keighley on the 24th of July 1915. George was still a blacksmith’s striker living at 27, Rydal Street and Mary was a spinster living at 9, Ruby Street in the Jewel Box area of Ingrow. Both of them signed their names properly in the marriage book.
War service:
We have an incomplete set of contemporary Army Service Records for George and these give the following information:
George attested for General Service at Keighley on the 5th of September 1916 and his enlistment was with the 3rd Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment was approved at Halifax on the same date. His regimental number was 3/29393.
He gave his age as 26 years and 6 months and his trade was steam motor driver and he was married. His home address was at 33, Fruit Street off Dalton Lane in Keighley and he had never served before.
His medical details were that he was 5 feet 2 inches tall with a 35 inch chest. His physical development was good and he weighed 117 lbs. He had not been vaccinated at that time and had vision rated as 6/24 in both eyes. He was rated ‘A’ by the medical officer.
He was examined again for foreign service on the 16th of December 1916.
His wife was Mary Allen née Holmes and their marriage matches that mentioned above. She was also living at 33, Fruit Street and they had no children.
George’s service ‘at home in the UK’ was reckoned from 5th September 1916 to the 28th of December 1916, when he went abroad with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving in France the next day.
The statement of services showed he was with the 8th Battalion, then the 9th Battalion, who he was serving with when he was killed in action on the 29th of April 1918. Casualty list no. C1556.
It also states he was buried at Forceville Communal Cemetery extension 5, 1/4 miles West of Albert in France. He had served for 1 year and 237 days.
The Active service form B.103 states he embarked with the B.E.F. at Folkestone on 28th December 1916 and arrived at Calais on the same date. He arrived at the 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples the next day and was posted to the 9th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment on the 17th of January.
On the 30th of December 1917 he was admitted to 57 Field Ambulance with a wounded left thumb and rejoined his unit on the 20th of January 1918. George was allowed home from (reported on the 5th) to the 22nd of February 1918. This was probably for a two week period and George probably had two days travelling at either end, giving him an estimated ten days at home.
WO-95/2014/1. War diary of 9th Battalion, West Riding Regiment:
April 1918.
FORCEVILLE. 23rd:
Quiet day. Moved forward at night and took over the left sector of the Brigade front, relieved the 7th East Yorkshire Regiment. Relief completed at 12.00 am.
24th:
Weather fine. Observation poor, our artillery active, side slipped 200 yards taking over a portion of line held by Royal Sussex Regiment and handing over a portion of line to 10th Lancashire Fusiliers. Readjustment completed by 11.00 pm.
25th: Quiet day. Artillery activity normal. Weather fine. Our patrols active at night, Enemy front located.
26th: Quiet day. Inter company relief carried out at night.
27th: Our artillery very active. Observation fair. Enemy activity normal. Our patrols active at night.
28th: Our artillery very active. Observation good. Weather fine.
29th: Observation good. Weather fine. Considerable enemy movement seen between 10.00 pm and 8.00 am. Enemy artillery very active against our front line between 10.00 am and noon and between 2.15 pm and 4.15 pm, otherwise quiet. Relieved at night by 12th Manchester Regiment. Relief completed by 2.20 am. Battalion then moved back to gulley near ENGLEBELMER, becoming Brigade Reserve.
30th: Weather fine. Day spent improving accommodation. 200 men occupied and several worked on the intermediate system at night.
George was killed in action on the 29th of April and we presume he was killed by the enemy shellfire which according to the war diary, was very active against our front lines on that day.
Keighley News 1st June 1918 page 3:
Private George Allan, West Riding Regiment, of 27, Ryder Street, Keighley, was killed in action on April 29. He was wounded some time ago, and had also been gassed three times. Before enlistment he was employed as a blacksmith by Mr. E. Bracewell, Greengate, Keighley. He leaves a widow.
George’s medal index card states he was posted to the Class Z Reserve on the 13th of December 1919, but the medal roll shows this was the man listed above in the book (29390, Private Fred Tunnacliffe) and it is a typographical error.
Further information from his service record shows that Mary was living at 27, Rydal Street on Oakworth Road in Keighley, when she received his personal effects (dated 12th of September 1918) but this was just one letter, no other effects were received.
She later received his medals which were the British War Medal and Victory Medal. This document was also dated on the 12th of September 1918, which seems very early to be receiving medals, perhaps it was stamped at a later date for Army records.
A final document states that Mary received a Dependant’s pension of 13s. 9. per week beginning on the 18th of November 1918 and that the officer issuing separation allowances had been informed of the award and the Pension would be paid from the Pension Issue Office.
Remembrance:
George is remembered on his Commonwealth War Grave headstone at grave 19 of row B in plot four of Forceville Communal Cemetery and extension in France, this is located near the village of Forceville, about seven miles North West of Albert.
There is no family inscription but he is listed as the son of Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth Allan, of 11, Beck Street, Greengate, Keighley. Sarah had died in 1891 some 27 years before George and his step-mother Mary is not mentioned. Notably his widow Mary is not mentioned at all.
Locally, George is named in the Borough of Keighley’s 1914 – 1918 Great War roll of honour book at Keighley Library.
Post war:
George’s widow Mary received the pension as stated above but before that she had received a £5 grant paid on the 21st of May 1918, shortly after his death.
There seems to have been an issue with the war pension as another pension card states that the pension was ineligible because of a lack of certification of her late husband’s pre war earnings, this was dated 12th March 1921. No other explanation is on this card.
The Soldiers Effects record shows that his widow Mary received his outstanding Army pay of £7 13s 5d on the 10th of September 1918 and a further war gratuity payment of £7 on the 8th of December 1919.
We could not locate Mary in the 1921 census, but in the 1939 Register, she was aged about 50 and living at 7, Hopton Road in Blackpool with her sister in law, widowed 64 year old Clara Ellison and 64 year old widowed Charlotte Hemas, who was incapacitated.
Charlotte died in 1952, Clara died in 1955.
Mary died aged 84 in the second quarter of 1973. Her death was registered at Fylde in Lancashire.
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
1881 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
1891 England Census
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
British Army Service Records 1914-1920
WO-95/2014/1. War diary of 9th Battalion, West Riding Regiment.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers died in the Great War.
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
