John William Allan | Bacchus Marsh Avenue Of Honour

Corporal John William Allan

Service No.:

473

Unit:

2^nd Tunnelling Company

Tree No.:

N003

Planted by:

Miss Queenie Leitch
(daughter of P Leitch also remembered in the Avenue)

See Notes (1)

click to enlarge
Photo of John Allan.
Donated by Rosalyn Bates,
Granddaughter-inlaw of John Allan.

John William Allan was born in 1891 at either North Carlton (from BDM Indexes) or Ballarat (Service Records), to James Allan and Theresa Truman.
He married Sarah Ross McGregor in 1914 and they had a child, Mavis Geraldine in 1915. Sarah was born in Bacchus Marsh in 1894 to John McGregor and Sarah Jane McCormac. John had a brother, Stanley⁽⁵⁾, who was killed in action in Belgium in 1915. Also Sarah had a brother, John McGregor who is also remembered in the Avenue.

A carpenter by trade, and working at the Darley Brick Company⁽²⁾⁽³⁾, John William Allan enlisted at Melbourne on the 28^th of July 1915. He joined the Mining Corps, 2^nd Company, as a Sapper and was promoted to Corporal in December 1915. He embarked in Sydney on the 20^th of February 1916, aboard the HMAT Ulysses, disembarking at Marseilles on the 5^th of May 1916.

From late October till the middle of December he spent some time in hospital and convalescing till he rejoined his unit in the field and transferred to the 2^nd Tunnelling Company. On the 10^th of July 1917, in the Nieuport sector, Belgium, John Allan suffered a gun shot wound to the left thigh and was transferred to England and admitted to Bethnal Green Military Hospital⁽⁴⁾ London. In September he left England aboard the Borda, arriving back in Australia in late November, finally being discharged from the AIF on the 24^th of January 1918, medically unfit - gun shot wound to left thigh.

John Allan died at South Melbourne, VIC, in 1953, aged 62.

He is listed on the Shire of Bacchus Marsh Roll of Honour. He is also remembered in the Coimadai Avenue of Honour.

Notes

On the plaque the name is Allen. There was a Joseph William Allen, Service No. 842, also in the 2^nd Tunnelling Company, born in Sydney, enlisted in Sydney. However I believe John William Allan Service No. 473 with a wife in Bacchus Marsh is the correct person.
The Bacchus Marsh Express 31 July 1915
Darley Firebrick
Lost Hospitals of London
AWM Roll of Honour

Location of Tree Number N003

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Corporal John William Allan

Notes

Location of Tree Number N003

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