Allen, Harry

Personal Information

Rank AC2
Forename(s) Harry
Surname Allen
Gender M
Age
Decorations
Date of Death 27-11-1941
Next of Kin
ALLEN H 127

Aircraft Information

Aircraft
Serial Number
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Guildford Cemetery
Grave Reference Block G. Grave 325.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 1
Panel Number 2

Enlistment Information

Service Number 1274127
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 5
Squadron 106
Trade Ground Staff
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Holy Trinity Church, Martin, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet & Roll of Honour in Wooden Case
Memorial Text To the memory of the Airmen of 106 Sqn who gave their lives in the 1939-45 War
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location Former Airfield Site, Martin Moor, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick moument with inscribed Slate Tablets & Plaques
Memorial Text Dedicated to the airmen and airwomen who served on 106 Sqn in WW2. 995 gave their lives
View On Google Maps View On what3words

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Last Operation Information

Start Date 30-11--0001
End Date 30-11--0001
Takeoff Station Coningsby
Day/Night Raid
Operation
Reason for Loss Surrey Advertiser - 6th December 1941: "BULLET THROUGH BRAIN. AIRCRAFTMAN'S SUICIDE ON LEAVE. MORBID ATTITUDE TO LIFE. An obsession which might have been dispelled by a psychologist was said to have been harboured by Aircraftman Harry Allen, aged 34, of 12, Farnham-road, Guildford, who shot himself through the head on Thursday last week, leaving behind at his home a black tin box containing manuscript and typescript telling of his longstanding intention to commit suicide. A finding of "Suicide while the balance of his mind was disturbed" was entered by the borough coroner, Mr. Gilbert H. Bailey, at the inquest at the Guildhall on Saturday. Mrs. Hilda Rideout, a sister, said that Aircraftman Allen, who before joining the Royal Air Force was a painter and decorator, was inclined to be nervous, irritable and morose, though he seemed brighter when he came home on 48 hours' leave on Monday last week. He caught an early train to return to duty on the Wednesday, but was back in Guildford again by 9.30 in the morning, and went to his bedroom and shut the door. He had been accustomed to spend hours typing in a locked room. Mrs. Rideout identified her brother's writing on envelopes and a diary shown to her... The Coroner said that Allen had left documents dating back to 1933, showing that he intended to commit suicide, and he had also written to the coroner "very long reasons" for his conviction that life was not worth living. It was evident that Allen had secret worries which he need not have had if he had consulted a psychologist, who could have assured him that there was nothing in those worries. Some of his writings referred to "continued cursed weariness and lethargy," and a self-consciousness which caused him to "make all manner of queer expressions when among strangers." He wrote of his suicidal intention, and expressed his last directions and wishes, and the Coroner said that, having read Allen's long, sad story, he had no hesitation in saying that for years Allen had been mentally unbalanced. He might have been able to carry on his ordinary work, but he had "a secret gnawing at his vitals," and instead of taking a doctor into his confidence, and being put right by a psychologist, or some such person, he had worried over himself, and ultimately committed suicide. He hoped at one time that being in the Forces would take him out of his depression, but the depression had got hold of him again.
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Close

Suggest An Edit

Submit a Photo

Once submitted, your photo will be submitted for verification and will be shown on the database record shortly.

Disclaimer I acknowledge that I remain the copyright holder of the original document(s). I hereby grant copyright in the digital version to the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and I consent to IBCC making digital copies freely available online under a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. IBCC may also use, reproduce or incorporate it into other works in any media, or licence its use for purposes of ensuring the sustainability of its Digital Archive and Losses Database. I understand that digital copies will be owned and controlled by IBCC, and I irrevocably agree to IBCC using and publishing digital copies however it sees fit, but always in line with its responsibilities to preserve and protect such ephemera.

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.