Allies A E Lt 8th Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
LIEUTENANT ALFRIC EUAN ALLIES, the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Edward Allies, was born at “Bewell” Alfrick, Worcester on October 16th, 1890.
He was educated at Yardley Court Preparatory School, Tonbridge, at Tonbridge School and at Brasenose College, Oxford. At the latter he took his degree with Honours in Jurisprudence in 1913 and, intending ultimately to practise at the Bar joined the Inner Temple, but the outbreak of war diverted his thoughts and energies to the service of King and Country.
He had been a member of King Edward’s Horse, but on leaving Oxford resigned his membership of that body,he was free to accept a Commission. He was gazetted Temp Second Lieut. in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on September 9th 1914 was promoted Lieutenant on February 1st. 1915, and in June of that year went out with his battalion to the Dardanelles, and here on August 16th he fell at Anzac.
His Commanding Officer wrote:- “I had to send a small party out in the early morning of the 16th to destroy some Turkish loopholes that had been erected during the night, thirty yards from our trenches. We were able to cover their advance across the open with our machine guns, so it was thought we could effect our objective in comparative safety. Your son most gallantly led the men, and was the first to reach the loopholes-here he was seen to fall wounded, and he rolled down the hillside towards the Turks and was not seen again.
For some time it was hoped that Lieutenant Allies might be a prisoner in Turkish hands, but this slender hope had finally to be relinquished.
A fuller and more detailed account of his last gallant action is given by the Captain of his Company:-
“On the night of the 15th-16th, we had been holding a line of trenches at the head of a dangerous salient, and these trenches were practically exposed to fire from three sides. . . . . In the morning when it was daylight, we discovered that the enemy had fixed four steel loopholes concealed by leaves, behind which they doubtless expected to snipe our bivouac area. We had sent a small party of four in the night to try and bomb them, but with practically no effect. After a good deal of consultation, it was decided by the C.O. to send out your son who was picked out as an enterprising and capable Officer, with a bayonet party of twelve men to charge the trench, drive away the snipers and destroy the steel loopholes.”
“Accordingly about 6 o’clock yesterday morning in full daylight he started off covered by one of our machine guns, rallied the party at once and charged gallantly 15 yards ahead of his men who immediately came under enfilade fire from the enemy. Your son reached the trench, was seen to fire his revolver into it and fell over the ridge towards the Turks, shouting something as if he had been badly wounded. He was then seen crawling back up the hill endeavouring to return, but was fired at again and he has not been seen or heard of since. It was his wish I should let know if anything happened to him, and I can only assure you how we all admire him for the gallant way in which he led his men.”
The following exquisite appreciation of the young Officer appeared in the Brasenose College Magazine from the pen of the Vice-Principal:-
“Here at Oxford he had been the life and soul of his friends. He was no athlete, but he could play golf well and hit a cricket ball hard; he was no scholar, but he had many intellectual interests, quick wits, and a lively understanding. By sheer force of personality he won for himself a unique position in College life. He was endowed with a rich vein of natural humour, of the truest and best kind. It was Falstaffian. It flowed from the depths of his nature, and was as gentle and as gracious as it was unforced. By choice his favourite butt was himself. Singularly high-minded, singularly pure, he was happy himself and spread cheerfulness and good temper about him. He bore the follies of his friends with tolerance; the discomforts and dangers of a soldier’s life he bore with fortitude. We shall long and sorely miss the sunny nature of one who brightened our lives so greatly whilst he was with us here on earth.”
Source : The British Roll Of Honour Vol 2
Allies A E Lt 8th Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Source : The Sphere 30th Sep 1916
LIEUT. ALFRIC EUAN ALLIES, 8TH BATTN. ROYAL WELCH FUSILIERS
KILLED IN ACTION AT ANZAC, GALLIPOLI, AUGUST 16TH, 1915. AGED 24.
At the School 1905-9 (Day Boy).
Lieut. A. E. Allies was the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Edward Allies, of Bewell, Alfrick, Worcester, and, until recently of Glenburn, Yardley Park Road, Tonbridge. After six years at Mr. Bickmore’s, Yardley Court School, he came to the School in 1905, and leaving in 1909, worked for a year with Mr. J. Le Fleming at Eton House before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1910. He took his degree with Honours in Jurisprudence in 1913 and, intending ultimately to practise at the Bar, joined the Inner Temple. The following, from the pen of the Vice-Principal of Brasenose, appeared in May, 1916, in the Oxford Magazine, and in the Brazen Nose, the College magazine:-
“Destined for the Bar, the outbreak of war found him at Cox’s Bank. He had been a member of King Edward’s Horse, but increasing weight had compelled him to resign his membership of that body, and he was free to accept a commission. He went to Churn with most of his Oxford friends. Here at Oxford he had been the life and soul of his friends. He was no athlete, but he could play golf well and hit a cricket ball hard; he was no scholar, but he had many intellectual interests, quick wits, and a lively understanding. By sheer force of personality he won for himself a unique position in College life.
“He was endowed with a rich vein of natural humour, of the truest and best kind. It was Falstaffian. It flowed from the depths of his nature, and was as gentle and gracious as it was unforced: it was universal in its character. By choice his favourite butt was himself. No matter what his theme the peccadilloes of his friends, his own laboured ascent of Cader Idris, the difficulties of the law, the intricacies of high finance as seen from the point of view of a clerk at Cox’s, the discomforts of camp life, or the too great reality of sham trench-warfare, the same refreshing humour played over and illuminated the whole subject; for his was the humour which comes of vision. With the Principal no less than with the callowest Freshman he conreneed in a tone of the most delightful persiflage. It showed itself in hundreds of ways. Like Sir Francis Drake, where five reasons could be invented he was never content with one, however convincing and genuine that one might be. He did not wish to deceive, nor did he deceive: his excuses were born of the joy of creation. Humour of this type is elusive, but Allies had the unusual gift of imparting some of the flavour of his conversation to the written word. Those of our readers who read the Letters of a Subaltern in the Dardanelles,’ which we published last Term, will (notwithstanding the activities of the Censors) have some idea of what we mean. They will know, too, the manner in which he gave his life. Those letters are the way in which his promise to the Magazine to write an account in the manner of Caesar of the Crossing of the Rhine in 1915 has unfortunately been fulfilled.
“Singularly high-minded, singularly pure, he was happy himself and spread cheerfulness and good temper about him. He bore the follies of his friends with tolerance; the discomforts and dangers of a soldier’s life he bore with fortitude.
“The best natures have the homing instinct strong within them. Allies loved dearly the shady lawn of his home at Bewell; he loved no less the University where he spent three happy years. For under all his humour there lay a depth of feeling which only seldom came to the surface. We saw him often after he had taken his degree; we listened in wonder while he unfolded the tale of his doings in London or in camp, and we shall long and sorely miss the sunny nature of one who brightened our lives so greatly whilst he was with us here on earth.”
He was gazetted a Temporary 2nd Lieut. in the 8th (Service) Battn. of the Royal Welch Fusiliers on September 9th, 1914, and promoted Lieutenant February 1st, 1915. On June 29th the
Battalion went out to the Dardanelles. The following account is taken from the letters of his Commanding Officer and his Company Commander :-
“On August 15th two companies of the Battalion were holding a line of trenches at the head of a dangerous salient, and the Turks were driving a sap up from their main trench some 70 yards distant, with a view to bombing our trench from a ridge that also commanded the bivouac area of the Battalion. On the night of the 15th a small bombing party had failed to dislodge the Turks, who had even succeeded in erecting four steel loopholes concealed by leaves on the ridge within 30 yards of our trench. After consultation, the C.Ó. decided to send out a bayonet party of 12 men, and selected Lieut. Allies as an enterprising and capable officer. Though it was daylight, he hoped that our machine-gun fire would enable them to effect their object in comparative safety. Lieut. Allies charged gallantly 15 yards in front of his men, but they immediately came under enfilade fire. He was the first to reach the loopholes and was seen to fire his revolver into the trench, but then fell over the ridge towards the Turks, evidently wounded. He was seen crawling back up the slope of the ridge, but was again fired on, rolled back out of sight, and has not been seen or heard of since. Six of his men were also missing, and no sign of any of them was discovered by a bombing party that reached the trench on the following night. His Company Commander testified to the universal sorrow at the loss the Battalion had sustained, and to their admiration of the gallant way in which Lieut. Allies had led his men; and both he and the C.O. expressed their conviction that, if he was a prisoner, he would be well treated by the Turks.”
As all efforts to obtain news of him had proved fruitless, the War Office at last determined to presume that he was killed on that day, August 16th, 1915, at “The Apex,” Rhododendron Spur, Anzac.
Source : Tonbridge School And The Great War Of 1914-1919