Harold Francis Allen was born in St. George in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, one of five sons of Howard and Mary Allen. His mother died when he was seven and he and his brothers were raised by their father, a mason. He completed Grade VII and followed his father into the mason trade. He enrolled in the Canadian Army on 3 October 1941 in Fredericton, NB, assigned to the Royal Canadian Engineers. Prior to that, he had completed basic army training in Woodstock, NB and was assigned to the artillery.
Harold completed his advanced army and driver training in Woodstock in April 1942 and was posted A5 Engineer Training Centre in Camp Petawawa in Ontario. Once in Petawawa, he went AWOL for a day in early June and was awarded ten-days confined to barracks (CB). Later that month, he was granted a ten-day furlough. In August, he went AWOL for three days and received three days CB.
Harold's habit of being AWOL for a day or two at a time was repeated a few more times before he was posted from Petawawa to proceed overseas on 11 December 1942. However, on his way to Halifax for embarkation, he went AWOL again but for a much longer time and was awarded 28-days detention served in Camp Debert, Nova Scotia. On release, he returned to Petawawa and continued his training and was qualified as a Driver-Mechanic. He finally arrived in the United Kingdom on 2 September 1943 and was posted to the Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Unit. Unfortunately, Harold did not seem to have learned his lessons and almost immediately went AWOL in England and was again awarded 28-days detention. On release, he was posted to Number 2 Mechanical Equipment Platoon. Despite his behaviour, it appears Harold was a useful soldier. He is described in his see received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal in England in December 1943.
Harold arrived in France in July 1944. Platoons and detachments of Number 2 Mechanical Equipment Platoon company supported the advance moving and operating heavy equipment and bridging as the 2nd Canadian Corps fought through the Battle of Normandy and advanced onwards across the Seine and into the Low Countries.
It was in the closing days of the Battle of the Scheldt that Harold’s was killed.
At approximately 1000 hours on 2 November 1944, Harold, along with several others, was riding in the back of a 5 CWT truck driving on the Antwerp-Ghent highway. The driver had just passed a 15 CWT truck when he caught a rear wheel in the soft shoulder of the road. The truck went into a skid and rolled over several times. Harold and the driver were both thrown clear, the driver suffering minor injuries, but Harold’s were much more serious. He died hospital of a head injury a few hours later. Spr Harold Allen is buried in the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery between the Belgium cities of Brugge and Gent. He was 24 years old.
Harold's brother Robert served overseas in the RCE. Another brother, Sherman served in the 8th Princess Louise's (New Brunswick) Hussars in Italy and Northwest Europe.
Return to Part 5: Tributes to the Fallen Sappers of the Scheldt