|
|
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Site Home
Help & FAQs
Features
Submissions
Information
Advertisements
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Lt. Arthur Hewitt Allen
British Army 1st Btn. att 72nd MGC. orth Staffordshire Regiment
Arthur Hewitt Allen was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment on the 23rd of July 1915 and joined the battalion in France. During the Battles of the Somme, he was attached to 72nd Company, Machine Gun Corps and commanded of a section of two Vickers machine guns. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 10th January 1917. He served at Arras in April 1917 and at the Battle of Messines Ridge, which opened with massive Mine explosions which rocked the German defenders. Despite early set backs, the Germans staged a vigorous defence of the ridge and the slopes. As Lieutenant Allen led his Machine Gun Company forward in support of 1st North Stafford’s, they came under heavy artillery & machine gun fire. He located and attacked an enemy machine gun that was mowing the men down. He personally killed and captured the crew, then took command of an infantry company whose Officers had all been hit, and was soon joined by the survivors of the whole Battalion. He was awarded the Military Cross which was Gazetted on the 26th of September 1917. His citation reads:
“For conspicuous gallantry & devotion in leading his company in an attack. He directed an attack on an enemy machine gun , which was holding up our advance, captured the gun and killed or captured the crew. Afterwards believing himself to be the only officer surviving in the attacking companies, he directed their fire on enemy machine guns and snipers, moving from shell hole to shell hole with utter disregard of his own personal danger to satisfy himself that the line was being properly maintained. Later, he was knocked down & severely bruised by a shell, but refused to leave his company and directed the carrying of rations to the front line.â€
He later fought in the 3rd Battle of Ypres in the Autumn of 1917. Having suffered effects from his close encounter with the shell at Messines and also possibly being further wounded in action, he returned to ‘Blighty’ in 1918 and served for a period with the Ministry of National Service.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
The Wartime Memories Project Website
is archived for preservation by the British Library
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.
