Laurence Wilfred Allen was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

. He was credited with ten confirmed victories while serving as an observer/gunner in Bristol F.2 Fighters.

Early life

Lieutenant Laurence Wilfred Allen, alias Laurence William Allen, was born in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, England on 14 September 1892.

World War I

Allen was originally a member of the Territorial Army, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

on 20 November 1915 before switching to aviation. On 5 April 1917, after being assigned to No. 48 Squadron RFC in France, he scored his first aerial victory while crewed with pilot Captain Alan Wilkinson in a Bristol F.2a Fighter. This was the Bristol's first day in action, and the Wilkinson/Allen success came on the heels of the new aircraft's first, disastrous patrol.Guttman, pp. 10–11. On 9 April, Allen and Wilkinson shared two more victories with Captain John Letts and his observer. On 11 April 1917, Second Lieutenant Allen was officially seconded to the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

.Franks ''et.al.'' (1997), pp. 2–3. By the end of

Bloody April Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras (1917), Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the Germ ...

, Allen's score had reached seven. He scored twice in May while being piloted by Letts, being

wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

on 24 May 1917 while downing his ninth foe. His Military Cross was gazetted two days later. He would score once more, on 16 June 1917. His final tally included: an

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service () during World War I. A modified licensed version was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (''Luftfahrtruppen''). The D.III was flown ...

destroyed singlehanded; two more D.IIIs destroyed in victories shared with other aircrews; a two-seater reconnaissance plane and four D.IIIs singlehandedly driven down out of control; two Albatros D.IIIs driven down and shared with other aircrews.

Post World War I

Allen was transferred to the Class A Reserves of the Royal Air Force on 1 September 1922. On 17 February 1926, he was slightly injured in the crash of Wolf no. G-EDHJ at

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

Aerodrome. On 30 March, he transferred into the Class C Reserves. On 1 September 1926,

Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

Laurence Wilfred Allen completed his military service and gave up his commission. He died in 1968 in Coventry.

Honours and awards

;Military Cross 2nd Lt. (temp. Lt.) Laurence Wilfred Allen, R. War. R., attd. R.F.C. : For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when acting as an observer. On many occasions he has helped to shoot down and destroy hostile machines. He has shown the greatest coolness and skill on all occasions, frequently clearing difficult jams in the middle of a fight.

Endnotes

References

* * Guttman, Jon (2007). ''Bristol F.2 Fighter Aces of World War I''. Oxford, Osprey Publishing. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Laurence W. British World War I flying aces 1892 births 1968 deaths Military personnel from Coventry Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I Territorial Force soldiers British Army soldiers