Allen, Frederick Fernley Edmund

Date of birth:: December 12th, 1912 (London, Great Britain)
Date of death:: June 29th, 2005
Service number:: 87057
Nationality:: British

Biography

Promotions:
?: Cadet;
April 26th, 1939: 2nd Lieutenant;
October 15th, 1940: Lieutenant (war subs.);
October 15th, 1940: temporary Captain;
November 20th, 1941: Captain (war subs.);
November 20th, 1941: temporary Major;
January 17th, 1945: Major (war subs);
January 17th, 1945: temporary Lieutenant Colonel;
April 1946: Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.

Career:
?: Brighton College;
?: Brighton College Contingent, Junior Division, Officer Training Corps;
?: 32nd (7th City of London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers
1937: TA Battalion, Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry;
1944: Second-in-Command, 1st Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment;
?: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment;
November 1944: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment;
March 9th, 1945: acting Commander, 158th Infantry Brigade
?: Military Governor, Brunswick;
?: Finance Division, British Military Government;
September 26th, 1950: The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Territorial Army Reserve of Officers;
September 27th, 1950: The East Lancashire Regiment, Territorial Army Reserve of Officers;
1946: Director, Stewart Smith Group;
1955: Managing Director Stewart Smith Group.

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Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Acting Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit:: 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, British Army
Awarded on:: April 12th, 1945

"On 7 January 1945 during the attack on GRIMBIEMONT MR 92/3580, Lt Col. F.E. ALLEN was in command of his Battalion. The Battalion had been in an exposed position in snow covered woods for 3 days and had been subjected to accurate enemy shelling and mortar fire. At H - 5 minutes the Battalion Command Group received three direct hits. The Adjudant and Int. personnel were killed and all communications within the Battalion were destroyed. Lt Col ALLEN who was alongside the Command Group at this juncture and escape injury, quickly reorganised his HQ and moved forward to the Start Line of his attack. On arrival there, just after H hr, he found that the Tank support for his forward companies was not avaliable because the tanks, in spite *** previous recoem could not cross the snow covered and ** extremely difficult ground.
** As his Battalion communications were out of action, Lt Col ALLEN went up to his forward companies which were under heavy and accurate fire by artillery, mortar and tanks and were suffering heavy casualties on the open snow covered slopes. From this exposed position he directed his battle and when his forward companies were held up he directed his reserved in such a way so that the momentum of the attack was maintained and the Battalion captured its final objective as planned.

Lt Col. ALLEN then retracted his steps over the open bullet swept area and reported the situation to Brigade HQ on his Battery Command's set.

Throughout this action, and in the face of heavy enemy fire fro all arms including tanks, Lt Col ALLEN was without R/T communications for is companies and it was only by his complete disregard to danger and his extreme coolness under fire that he was able to co-ordinate and direct his attack, so that even without the original planned tank support he ensured that his Rifle companies took their objective."

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit:: 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, British Army
Awarded on:: April 19th, 1945

"On 11th February 1945 the 1st Battalion The East Lancashire Regiment commanded by Lt-Col F.F.E. Allen was advancing through the REICHWALD FOREST to its objective on the Eastern edge. Enemy positions were encountered in the second line of defences on the Siegfried Line in the Forest at about 868495 Sheet 4202 1/25,000. The leading company of the 1st Battalion The East Lancashire Regiment was held up in this area by enemy S.P. guns, mortar and heavy small arms fire. Lt-Col ALLEN went forward to the leading company and whilst there he was wounded on the chin and rendered unconscious by a bullet. On regaining consciousness shortly afterwards he immediately continued to direct the battle, and by his efforts he fought his battalion through their objective at KLOSTERHUFE 8948. This phase of the battle was accomplished in fading light and under appalling ground conditions in the Forest with enemy parties all round the battalion. The battalion reached its objective in the dark and Lt-Col Allen re-organised and held firm knowing well that the enemy had cut his communications to the rear, that many of his fighting vehicles were stuck in the deep mud of the forest tracks, that no outside help could reach him during darkness, and that the enemy were in strength to his East, South and West. It was impossible to get food and water forward and he could not evacuate his casualties. From early next morning 12th February until late that night the enemy put in several fierce counter-attacks using a Panzer formation. Every one was repulsed immediately with heavy loss to the enemy and at no point did the battalion give any ground.

Throughout the long and anxious period of 27 hours, Lt-Col Allen, inspite of his wound, lack of sleep and his heavy responsibilities, continued to command his battalion with great skill, calm confidence and outstanding personal gallantry. His personal example and superb fighting qualities ensured beyond any doubt that his battalion's objective was held firm, and that by their offensive spirit whey were able to destroy very large number of the enemy who were equally determined to regain the vital ground captured and held secure by this battalion."

Second DSO awarded in the form of a bar to be worn on the ribbon of the first DSO.