Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Great War Gallipoli operations D.C.M. awarded to Private H. Allen, Worcestershire Regiment, who died of wounds in the peninsula in May 1915

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (11891 Pte. H. Allen, 4/Worc. Regt.), obverse polished, nearly very fine
£800-1000

D.C.M. London Gazette 3 June 1915:

‘For conspicuous gallantry on 28 April 1915, during the operations near Krithia, when he brought up ammunition to a machine-gun under heavy fire when it was critically needed. Private Allen’s conduct was exceptionally meritorious.’

Henry Ewart Gladstone Allen Shuker was born in Wolverhampton in February 1894 but used the alias ‘Henry Allen’ on enlisting in the Worcestershire Regiment at Birmingham - quite possibly on account of his surname being mistaken for one of German origin. Be that as it may, he was posted to the 4th Battalion and was present at the Gallipoli landings on 24 April 1915, when his unit suffered heavy casualties.

A few days later, on the 28th, he won the D.C.M. for the above cited deeds in the first battle of Krithia, for bringing up ammunition under what regimental records describe as ‘a rain of bullets’, this at a vital time when casualties were occurring ‘left and right’ and most of the officers had been struck down - hence the D.C.M. awarded to Regimental Sergeant-Major Felix on the same occasion, for rallying otherwise leaderless troops.

Allen was mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s despatch dated 5 May 1915.

Meanwhile, the 4th Battalion, now less 300 men on account of the action on the 28th, remained actively engaged in the peninsula, participating in the second battle of Krithia a week later, and it was probably on this occasion that Allen was mortally wounded - his official date of death being listed as 10 May. He was 21 years of age and is buried in Port Said War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.

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