John Allen (RAF officer)
John Allen | |
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Second World War
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Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
John Allen,
Born in the British East Africa Protectorate, Allen joined the RAF in 1937. Once his training was completed he was posted to No. 54 Squadron and was still with this unit at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War. Flying the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he achieved several aerial victories while the squadron was involved in the later stages of the Battle of France. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew in the early phase of the Battle of Britain, and was killed when his aircraft crashed in flames at Cliftonville after a sortie on 24 July 1940.
Early life
John Laurance Allen was born at
Allen, as an acting pilot officer, underwent his flight instruction with No. 8 Flying Training School at Montrose in August. On 18 January 1938, while on a training flight, he crashed his aircraft in fog on Glen Dye moor, in Kincardineshire. He was trapped in the wreckage for nearly a day before he was rescued. In December, having recovered from injuries caused in his crash and completed his training, he was posted to No. 54 Squadron as a pilot officer on probation.[1][2] This was based at Hornchurch and equipped with Gloster Gladiator fighters but in March the following year the squadron began to reequip with the new Supermarine Spitfire fighter.[3]
Second World War
No. 54 Squadron flew its first
Battle of France
From mid-May 1940, No. 54 Squadron began to operate over northern France to provide aerial cover for the retreat of the
On 24 May, Allen shot down yet another Bf 109 in the vicinity of Calais and this was followed the next day with his destruction of two
Battle of Britain
After the intensive operations of late May, No. 54 Squadron was briefly based at Catterick for a rest and training up of replacement pilots before returning to Hornchurch for the forthcoming Battle of Britain.[3] On 11 June it was formally announced that Allen was to be awarded the Distinuished Flying Cross (DFC) for his exploits of the previous month, including the rescue of White. The citation for the DFC was published in The London Gazette and read:
In May, 1940, this officer was detailed to intercept an enemy raider approaching this country. He proceeded as far as Dunkerque and between that place and Calais on his return journey, he observed thirty Junkers 88's engaged in bombing Calais. Although alone, he climbed to attack and badly damaged one enemy aircraft, whereupon the remainder of the formation disappeared in the clouds. Two days later, in company with a second aircraft, he escorted a trainer aircraft to Calais Marck aerodrome, for the purpose of rescuing a squadron commander who had been shot down there. The trainer aircraft was attacked by twelve Messerschmitt 109's whilst taking off after the rescue, but Pilot Officer Allen in company with the other escorting aircraft immediately engaged these forces. Three of the enemy aircraft were shot down and a further three badly damaged.
— London Gazette, No. 34935, 11 June 1940[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Fighter_Command_CH442.jpg/220px-Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Fighter_Command_CH442.jpg)
On 17 June Allen, flying with Leathart and Deere on a sortie to
Allen was credited with the destruction of a Heinkel He 59 floatplane, searching for a Luftwaffe pilot that had come down into the English Channel, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Deal on 9 July; a local lifeboat towed the He 59, which had put down on the Goodwin Sands, to Deal. He also shot down a Bf 109 although this was not verified.[6][11] Along with the rest of the squadron, Allen was scrambled to intercept several Dornier Do 17 medium bombers, escorted by Bf 109s, in the late morning of 24 July. During the resulting engagement, which took place off Dover, the engine of his Spitfire was damaged. He evaded the attacking Bf 109s and made for Foreness after his engine cut out. The engine restarted and he attempted to fly to Manston until his Spitfire burst into flames and crashed into the ground at Cliftonville, killing Allen. Bystanders attempted to save him but were thwarted by the intensity of the burning wreckage.[1][12]
Allen is buried at Margate Cemetery in Kent.[13] He was credited with having shot down eight German aircraft, one of which being shared with other pilots. Another five aerial victories were unconfirmed.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "The Airmen's Stories – F/O J L Allen". Battle of Britain London Monument. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b "No. 34581". The London Gazette. 20 December 1938. p. 8076.
- ^ a b c d e Rawlings 1976, pp. 132–135.
- ^ a b Bishop 2003, pp. 261–262.
- ^ "No. 34767". The London Gazette. 5 January 1940. p. 87.
- ^ a b c d e f g Shores & Williams 1994, p. 96.
- ^ Bishop 2003, pp. 183–184.
- ^ "No. 34870". The London Gazette. 11 June 1940. p. 3517.
- ^ Cull 2013, pp. 80–81.
- ^ "No. 35065". The London Gazette. 4 February 1941. p. 693.
- ^ Cull 2013, p. 184.
- ^ Cull 2017, pp. 154–155.
- ^ "Casualty Details: Flying Officer John Laurence Allen". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
References
- Bishop, Patrick (2003). Fighter Boys: Saving Britain 1940. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-257169-2.
- Cull, Brian (2013). First of the Few: 5 June – 9 July 1940. Stroud: Fonthill. ISBN 978-1-78155-116-5.
- Cull, Brian (2017). Battle for the Channel: The First Month of the Battle of Britain, 10 July – 10 August 1940. Stroud: Fonthill. ISBN 978-1-78155-625-2.
- Rawlings, John (1976). Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: MacDonald & James. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
- Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-8-9869-7000.