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Henry Albert Allport - Information

When Henry decided to enlist in the AIF, he was living in Crookwell at No. 2 Redground Rd with his family. He was born in Crookwell in 1886 to Charles and Mary Allport. He later attended Picton Public School, and found work as a miner and labourer. When he was 30 years old, Henry signed up on the 17th of October 1916 in Picton. During training, he was allocated to the 55th Battalion, before departing Sydney Harbour on the 11th of November 1916 upon the HMAT Suevic.

The Suevic sailed into Devonport, England at the end of January 1917. Henry was marched into the 14th Training Battalion. By April, he was taken to Windmill Hill, where he was transferred to the 62nd Battalion. On the 23rd of August, Henry was shipped to the Western Front in France. He was mustered at Rouelles Base, before joining the 35th Battalion in the field on the 1st of September. At the time, the 35th Battalion was embroiled in heavy action during the Third Battle of Ypres in Belgium. Henry with his lewis gun charged towards Passchendaele in mid October. On the 12th, during an attack on Passchendaele Ridge he was wounded and became stuck in No Man’s Land. The Anzacs facing well defended blockhouses had to withdraw to their lines as the ground was taken by the Germans. Henry was then reported missing in action. An inquiry later confirmed that he was killed in action on the 12th of October 1917. Unable to be granted a proper burial, his name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper (Ypres), in Belgium.