Yarm 1914

Frederick Allen was born 1879. He enlisted 15 November 1915 aged 36 having been a telegraphist on the North Eastern railway. Naturally he joined the Royal Engineers Railway Operating Division.
The Allens are a Yarm family and his mother appeared to be unmarried when he was born. His mother Elizabeth aged 23 lived in Union Yard off the High Street with her mother Eleanor Allen, known as Ellen aged 49, and a charwoman, brother George 21 a works fitter and aunt Jane Harrison 39, a dressmaker. By In 1888 George had married Mary Jane Johnson whom he met whilst she was visiting Yarm and set up home in Linthorpe. In order to make ends meet Frederick's mother and grandmother took in Laundry. Frederick bacame a railway telegraph clerk and moved in with the York family at 2 Malakoff Street in Stockton. Thomas York was a police constable. In 1911 Frederick had moved back to Yarm and was living on the High Street with his mother who was still taking in laundry and Frederick continued to work as a Railway Clerk with the North Eastern Railway.

Elizabeth Ann Allen's mother Ellen was born in Houghton Le Spring in 1831 to John and Elizabeth Harrison. The family then moved to Norton and in 1950 Ellen married Henry Ashton Allen and a few months later Henry Harrison Allen was born and baptised on 19 May 1950 in Yarm. In the 1851 census there were eight people living in the house in Yarm; John Harrison 52, Elizabeth Harrison 51, William Harrison (son) 25, Mary Harrison (daughter in law) 25, Eleanor Allen (daughter and Frederick's mother) 20, Ann Harrison (daughter) 15, Jane Harrison 10 (daughter) and Henry Allen (grandson). There is no record of Henry Ashton Allen. By 1861 Ellen is living with her sister Jane and three children, William Allen aged 8 and baptised in Yarm on 22 August 1852, Elizabeth Ann Allen aged 5 and George Allen aged 2 baptised on 7 November 1958. John Allen had been baptised on 30 April 1854. Ellen's husband Henry Ashton Allen is recorded as the father but he and sons Henry and John are not living with the family and Ellen is recorded as the head of the household. By 1871 William had moved out and was a lodger with the Hanley family in Linthorpe. Elizabeth was 23 when Frederick was born and she lived in Yarm with her mother until she died in 1911 aged 80.
Frederick went into the reserves for nearly 2 years before being mobilised on 8 November 1917 and embarked at Southampton in January 1918. Although is time in France was relatively short he did not have a good time, being injured in February 1918 and spent nearly a month in hospital between 7 October and 6 November with sickness and fever. He was discharged from Longmoor on 6 August 1919 in A condition.

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Yarm 1914 Research ________________

The Yarm 1914 Commemoration Group is carrying out research on the soldiers listed. We are finding where they lived in Yarm and will represent the findings in a wall of poppies presentation. More details will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and this web site. If you have any information please contact us. Left click on the picture below.