Allen, Corporal James Ernest

Service highlights

  • Service number R116919
  • Born 6 August 1923 in St. Marys, Ontario
  • Attended St. Marys Public School and St. Marys Collegiate Institute
  • Worked locally as a farm worker while in school, then as a painter before enlisting
  • Enlisted: 18 August 1941 in the Royal Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario
  • Posted overseas in early 1943 and served with 426 Squadron in England
  • Promoted through the ranks to Corporal on 1 March 1943
  • Died: 24 September 1944
  • Buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany
  • Commemorated on the World War II plaque on the south wall of St. Marys Town Hall

A Life and Service Remembered

James Ernest Allen was born in St. Marys on 6 August 1923 and grew up on Thomas Street with his parents. He went through St. Marys Public School and then St. Marys Collegiate Institute, graduating in 1940. Like many young people in a small town, he worked wherever work could be found. While he was still in school he did part time farm work, and after graduation he spent a year working as a painter.

He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in London on 18 August 1941 and was placed in General Duties. Training carried him away from home quickly, beginning at No. 2 Manning Depot in Brandon and continuing with further postings as he learned the routine and responsibility of service life. His progress was steady and recognized. He was promoted to Aircraftman 1st Class in November 1941, Leading Aircraftman in February 1942, and Corporal in March 1943.

In January 1943 he was posted overseas. He joined 426 Squadron in England on 26 February 1943. By 1944 the squadron was scheduled to relocate to Elmas, Sardinia. The aircrew would fly the bombers south, and the ground crew, including James, would follow by transport aircraft.

On 24 September 1944, James was aboard a Dakota transport that strayed over German held territory while en route. The aircraft was shot down in Germany and there were no survivors. The news came in stages, first the painful uncertainty and then confirmation, with the International Red Cross later providing final proof of his death. His mother, Marion, survived him. His father, Ernest Allen, had served in the First World War and had died in 1941, only a short time before James enlisted.

James was buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery in Germany. At home, his name was added to the World War II plaque at St. Marys Town Hall, a public reminder that the war reached into the streets and families of the town and took a young man who had been building an ordinary life, and doing it well.

Major battles and operations

  • Home front training and service in Canada, 1941 to 1943
  • Overseas service with 426 Squadron in England, 1943 to 1944
  • Squadron relocation movement toward the Mediterranean, September 1944
  • Lost on 24 September 1944 when his RCAF transport aircraft was shot down over Germany while en route

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