The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (422092) Warrant Officer George Gregory Allman, No. 196 Squadron, RAF, Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Blanch, the story for this day was on (422092) Warrant Officer George Gregory Allman, No. 196 Squadron, RAF, Second World War.

422092 Warrant Officer George Gregory Allman, No. 196 Squadron, RAF
KIA 31 March 1945
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 11 August 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Warrant Officer George Gregory Allman.

George Allman was born in Coonabarrabran, New South Wales, on 7 January 1923 to George and Ellen Allman. The family moved to Coraki, New South Wales, when Allman was a young man and he grew up and attended school in the area. After leaving school at 16, he began an apprenticeship as a boiler maker. He was still working as an apprentice when the Second World War began.

Allman initially enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve in September 1941, aged 18. In April the following year he was accepted for full-time service with the RAAF as a flight crew trainee. After his initial training, Allman was posted to Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. He attended several schools of instruction and qualified as a wireless operator/air gunner in April 1943. After further training in an operational training unit, he was posted to England in September. He spent the remainder of 1943 and the early months of 1944 in training units.

In April 1944 Allman was posted to No. 196 Squadron RAF, an airborne support and special operations squadron. At this time the squadron, which flew the Short Stirling Mk IV, was heavily involved in training with British paratroopers and glider forces for the impending invasion of France.

At 11.20 pm on 5 June 1944, 23 Stirlings of No.196 Squadron, including one in which Allman was a crew member, took off from Keevil. Aboard each aircraft were up to 20 paratroopers and their equipment. The destination: Normandy.

As the Stirlings crossed the French coastline, German flak and anti-aircraft fire lit up the sky. Shortly after, the paratroopers began to exit the aircraft near the town of Ranville and the invasion of Normandy had begun. The squadron’s aircraft then turned for home. One aircraft was shot down, but the other 22, including Allman’s, returned safely to England.

Allman took part in Operation Market Garden in September 1944. His crew flew British airborne forces to Arnhem, Holland, as well as several resupply operations to Arnhem in the ensuing days. Each time they encountered heavy flak over the drop zones. Allman and his crew spent the remainder of 1944 training and flying special operations flights to Norway and France.

On 31 March 1945 Allman’s crew was tasked with a supply drop to Norwegian resistance fighters. During the mission the aircraft came under attack from German night fighters, and it was shot down with the loss of all crew. The crash site has never been found. Today Warrant Officer Allman is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial to the missing in England.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with around 40,000 others from the Second World War. There is no photograph in the Memorial’s collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Warrant Officer George Gregory Allman, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.