Allen R G R Captain 5th West Yorkshire Regiment Attd Royal Flying Corps

CAPT. RICHARD GERRARD ROSS ALLEN,

5TH BATTN. PRINCE OF WALES’S OWN (WEST YORKSHIRE REGT.) (T.F.).

FLYING OFFICER, R.F.C.

KILLED IN AERIAL ACTION NEAR BEAUMONT HAMEL, NOVEMBER 16TH, 1916. AGED 26.

At the School 1903-8 (School House).

Capt. R. G. Ross Allen was the only son of the late Richard Allen, Clerk of the Crown and Peace for County Leitrim, and of Mrs. Allen, of Cambrian House, Burgess Hill, Sussex, and formerly of Cavan, County Cavan, Ireland. He entered the School in September, 1903, from Mr. R. H. Bookey’s School at Aravon, Bray, County Wicklow, and left in July, 1908. In the Cadet Corps, as it then was, he became a Corporal in September, 1906, Sergeant in January, 1907, and C.S.M. in May, 1908. He also won the Swimming Points Cup in 1907 and 1908, and was appointed a House Præpostor in September, 1907, and a School Præpostor in his last Term. On leaving School he went up to Jesus College, Cambridge, and rowed No. 7 in the Jesus Boat in the Lent and May races for two years. After taking his degree in January, 1912, he took up Land Agency in Yorkshire.

Having volunteered for service very early in the War, he received a commission dated October 14th, 1914, in the Prince of Wales’s Own (West Yorkshire Regt.). In March, 1915, he went out to France, and came in for the end of the great Neuve Chapelle fighting. In the course of the next fourteen months he took part in much stern work at Festubert, Hooge, Ypres, etc., and came through all these months of front line trench fighting without being wounded. Early in the Somme Battle he was offered an appointment as Observer in the R.F.C. and was seconded and afterwards transferred to the R.F.C. On the morning of November 16th, 1916, he went out as Observer on artillery work during the great fighting then in progress, and what was presumed to be his machine was seen engaged with an enemy machine and was seen to go down in a steep spiral within the German lines. It was impossible to see precisely where it landed or fell. He was reported “missing” at the time, but it was hoped that he might have effected a landing, his brother officers believing that even if his pilot had been hit and disabled, Capt. Allen, being very experienced, would have been able to achieve this. However, five days later a patrol visited an aeroplane that had fallen in enemy lines and found under it the body of an officer of the West Yorkshires, but were unable to remove the body or to identify it, as there was no time or light. On April 19th, 1917, an official telegram stated that he was believed to have been killed on November 16th, 1916. It was subsequently officially reported that a grave had been found with an inscription. giving his name and regimental description in full. It would therefore appear that his body was removed and buried by the Germans before the machine was completely destroyed by shell fire in the subsequent advance as previously reported.

“He was,” wrote one officer, “one of the best Observers in the Squadron, and was one of three chosen for the specially difficult and dangerous work of contact patrol,” and an officer of the Yorkshire Regiment wrote:-

“We were all very sorry when Ross left us to go to the Flying Corps, because we had all learned to love one who was always cheery and a splendid fellow in every way.”

His Flight-Commander wrote:- “I was only transferred here as Flight- Commander ten days ago, but even in that short time I had come to like him very much. He was very popular in the mess, and took over a lot of extra work for us, managing our mess accounts, which he did excellently. As an observer he was quite first-class, and was always ready for any dangerous or difficult job. We shall all miss him greatly as a worker and as a friend. He had a lot of grit, and when after a long day other people seemed rather played out, he would still be cheery and full of life.”

Tonbridge School And The Great War Of 1914-1919