Herbert Allen
Herbert, the son of Herbert and
Mary Allen who lived at Kenilworth, Addlestone, Surrey, was living in
Westminster, London and it was here that he enlisted with the 1st/2nd Battalion
of the London Regiment (The Royal Fusiliers) as Lance Corporal, number 230549.
On the 11th August 1917, at the age of 21, Herbert was killed in action in
Flanders, Belgium. He has no known grave and is commemorated by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission on panel 52 of the Menin Gate memorial in
Ypres, Belgium. Herbert is just one of the 54,328 men who died around Ypres and have no known grave so are named on the Menin gate.
To this day, every night at 8pm the road which runs through the Menin Gate is closed by the police and the volunteer buglers from the local Fire Brigade play the last post at what is a most moving ceremony. Not many years ago there would only have been a handful of people at this ceremony but due to the increased awareness of the great war, especialy as world war one is now part of the English schools national carriculum, the number of people attending regularly exceeds 100 each evening.
Ypres Menin Gate Memorial
Last Post Buglers