Sgt. George Harry Clement "Bob" Allan
British Army 9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers
from:Twickenham
I have in my possession an Order issued to my father, Sergeant George Allan. This order was issued from Commandant No. 2.D.C. telling him to proceed at once with two privates per 32 seater (Dvr. Rolfe) to D.Z. to report to Captain Voorhees at Le Marchant Camp. The order gives a list of things to be taken along with the names of Pte. King, Pte. Lockey and Pte Darnell who were to be in my father's party. The order says c/o Post Office, Beaconsfield 6th of June 1944.
My father told us the story of how he was ordered to go to the south coast and escort back a high ranking Italian prisoner of war. I do not know who accompanied my father, possible the privates mentioned above. They had to catch a train there and back. On the way back due to bombing the train was stopped and everyone told to get off. As my father was escorting a prisoner it was decided, by police who had stopped the train, that the safest thing to do was to take the prisoner to the local police station and lock him up for the night. At some point the prisoner asked to go to the toilet. After some while my father became suspicious and on breaking down the toilet door discovered that the prisoner had climbed out of the toilet window (he was of small stature apparently). My father gave chase worried that he would be in deep trouble with his commanding officer for allowing a prisoner to escape so possibly losing his stripes. Being a P.T. instructor in the army my father was fit and eventually caught the prisoner in the town. However, due to the air raid they were told to go to the nearest shelter and stay there for the rest of the night. The next morning my father and prisoner returned to the police station where it was planned to lock up the prisoner until a suitable train arrived, but the police station was no longer there it had taken a direct bomb hit. Had the prisoner not escaped the night before, my father, the prisoner and any privates accompany them would all have been killed.
