Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.

Detail :

The National Archives files a document with ref: BT-377-7-72611, which shows John's career as a Novocastrian Merchant Seaman, whose career regularly saw him aboard the SS Priestfield between 1911 and July 1914 sailing to South America.

Amongst the many notes on his service record there are two which are of particular interest: (1) "Promoted to Lieutenant Engineer R.N.R. with seniority of 1st Mar 15 by order of admiralty" and (2) "This officer is reported to have been killed in action after his promotion to Engineer Sub-Lt."

It seems strange that he is initiated as a Warrant Officer, until the second page of this document, "Service in the Royal Navy" shows him as a "Warrant Engineer" initially at HMS Pembroke (Chatham) and then on HMS Dido.

For his final days the records show that he died aboard HMS Bergamot. "Killed in action with submarine in Atlantic."

Probate ALLEN John Alexander Cameron of 11 Day-street Newcastle-upon-Tyne engineer sub-lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve died 13 August 1917 at sea Probate Newcastle-upon-Tyne 15 May to Edward Allen accountant. Effects £340 5s. 3d.

Masonic :

The entry in the 1921 lists a John Cameron Allen, a Warrant Officer of the Royal Naval Reserve, whilst the 1940 scroll lists Allan, John C. in the same capacity. A manual search through the records of Kings Navy Lodge shows that he is recorded at John Allen, a Warrant Officer, aged 34 residing at the RN Base at Chatham. An annotation is made of "Reported Dead - Date Unknown" in the contribution register, but is more than likely to be through 1917.

He advanced no further than that of Fellowcraft.

Age at Initiation into King's Navy Lodge was 34. This puts birth at circa 1881. When searched under this criteria and with a possible data of death in 1917, the only real match is for John Alexander Cameron Allen (as a Temporary Engr-Sub Lt.)

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley