History - Leslie 'Bull' Allen
Leslie ‘Bull’ Allen (Virtual War Memorial Australia)
Another history post inspired by Sabaton, thanks to their song, ‘The Ballad of Bull’, the lyric video of which is at the end of this post.
Leslie Charles Allen, born on the 9th of November 1916 in Ballarat East, Victoria, was the second son of a labourer, Clarance Walter Allen and his wife, Ruby Ethel.
Sadly, the childhood of Leslie and his two siblings, a brother and sister, was marred by domestic violence, which culminated in the children being abandoned, after which they were raised in an orphanage.
At around 12 years of age, Leslie began working, mostly as a farm labourer.
On the 19th of April 1940, at age 23, Leslie enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, giving his middle name as Clarence.
In September 1940, along with reinforcements for the 2/5th Battalion, he embarked for the Middle East where he served as a stretcher-bearer.
An infantry battalion, the 2/5th operated during the Second World War, being one of only two Australian infantry battalions to fight against the major Axis powers; against the Germans and Italians in Egypt, Libya, Greece, and Crete, and the Vichy French in Syria after which it returned to Australia in 1942 to fight the Japanese.
At 5ft 11inches, Leslie was not only physically imposing but strong too.
A keen sportsman, he proved popular with the men with his sense of humour, but he showed some contempt for authority.
His enthusiasm for charging through the opposition while playing Australian Rules football earned him the nickname ‘Bull’.
In June 1940, Italy declared war, and invaded Egypt from Libya in September, signalling the start of the Western Desert campaign, or Desert War, which took place in the deserts of Egypt and Libya, the main theatre in the North African campaign, which lasted from June 1940 until 1943.
Leslie saw action during the Libyan campaign in January-February 1941 and proved to be dependable.
But, in April, he was admitted to hospital with ‘anxiety neuroses’.
Re-joining the battalion before the Syrian campaign, he attended to casualties all night while under fire on the 10th-11th July 1941 near Khalde in Lebanon.
11 July 1941 – The 2/5th Battalion near Khalde, Lebanon, advancing along the road to Beirut (Australian War Memorial)
The next morning, despite being exhausted, he walked 6 miles (10km) to get transport.
In March 1942, the 2/5th left the Middle East to serve in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before returning to Australia in August.
In mid-September, the battalion was reorganised for jungle warfare and undertook a brief period of training, during which their khaki uniforms were dyed green.
The deteriorating state of the Pacific War had left the Australian forces battling the Japanese in New Guinea desperate for reinforcements; in October, the 2/5th battalion sailed for Papua.
The battalion didn’t take part in any fighting until January 1943 when it took part in the defence of the town of Wau, an Australian base which the Japanese wanted to capture as it potentially threatened their positions.
By the time the Japanese reached the area, reinforcements had been flown in, and the Australian forces were able to successfully defend their base.
Although Leslie had contracted malaria, he was fit for the defence of Wau.
His devotion to his comrades and bravery proved invaluable as did his stamina on the mountain tracks.
On the 7th and 8th of February, he was responsible for rescuing wounded men under fire, and was awarded the Military Medal; the citation noted that ‘Private Allen’s bearing and his untiring efforts in tending the wounded and helping with rations and stores were an inspiration.’
Military Medal (reverse) (Wikipedia)
In April 1943, he was promoted to acting corporal.
The next major campaign for the 2/5th was the Salamaua-Lae campaign, Salamaua and Lae being two major Japanese bases; the plan was to capture the bases with Australian and American forces.
The battalion joined the advance on Salamaua, aiming to draw Japanese reinforcements away from Lae where a landing was planned for September.
After the Battle of Wau, the Japanese had withdrawn to positions around Mubo, roughly between Wau and Salamaua.
23 July 1943 – Men of ‘D’ Company, 2/5th Battalion covering track from a captured Japanese weapon pit, 50 yards from the Japanese lines, Salamaua Area, New Guinea. (Australian War Memorial)
Facing strong Japanese resistance of about 700 troops, the battalion, along with the Second Australian Imperial Force, the 2/6th Infantry Battalion, and the Militia 42nd Infantry Battalion, became involved in heavy fighting around Mubo in May, then Goodview Junction and Mount Tambu in July and August 1943.
7 August 1943 – Defence gun pits of the 2/5th Battalion, Goodview, New Guinea (Australian War Memorial)
Mount Tambu, the highest feature on the route between Mubo and Salamaua, is made up of a series of steep razorback ridges covered in dense jungle.
The 2/5th made the initial assault on the 16th of July 1943, securing the southern slopes of Mount Tambu.
The Japanese counter-attack was repulsed with the Japanese suffering heavy losses.
On the 24th of July, the 2/5th launched another attack across a steep ravine, and eventually reached the summit of the position but were forced off following fierce fighting.
On the 28th of July, the American soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment arrived to relieve some of the Australian forces around Mount Tambu.
Australian mortar crew and stretcher bearers remained to support the US troops with one company from the 2/5th Battalion continuing to maintain a base around the mountain.
On the 30th of July, an uphill attack was made by the US troops, which failed, resulting in casualties.
Despite the area still being under fire, Leslie rescued 12 wounded US soldiers, single-handedly, before collapsing from exhaustion.
An Australian press photographer, Gordon Short, took this iconic photograph of Leslie carrying to safety a soldier who’d been knocked unconscious by a mortar bomb.
30 July 1943 - Leslie ‘Bull’ Allen, age 26, 2/5th Battalion stretcher bearer, Mount Tambu, New Guinea – photo by Gordon Short (Australian War Memorial)
Leslie was awarded the US Silver Star; according to the citation, he’d won ‘the unstinted praise of all who witnessed his action’.
US Silver Star
The 2/5th was eventually withdrawn from the line and, in late August, concentrated around Nassau Bay, further south from Salamaua.
On the 23rd of September 1943, the 2/5th Battalion arrived back in Australia, landing at Cairns, Queensland.
Despite never showing fear in battle, Leslie’s experiences had badly affected him.
His behaviour became increasingly erratic, and, in February 1944, he struck an officer and was demoted.
Leslie was medically discharged on the 10th of September 1944, having been assessed as suffering a form of temperamental instability, ‘anxiety symptoms’, and malaria.
He’d temporarily lost the power of speech and lived with an uncle while recovering.
On the 23rd of April 1949, he married Jean Elizabeth Floyd, a former nurse, and they would go on to have a daughter and 3 sons.
Leslie worked as a labourer then as a theatre orderly at Ballarat Base Hospital.
On their small farm, he raised pigs and worked with horses.
Ballarat became very familiar with his booming voice and humour, and he proved popular with tourists at Sovereign Hill, a re-created gold-mining town.
For Anzac Day, he’d travel to Melbourne and carry his unit association’s banner in the march.
Leslie ‘Bull’ Allen died on the 11th of May 1982, aged 65.
Leslie Allen comes across as a truly courageous, larger-than-life character.
It’s sad, in a way, that he must have bottled up whatever anxieties that surely plagued him, from his childhood to his war experiences, leading to his erratic behaviour.
I hope, after all he’d been through, he found happiness with his family.