Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Walter Allan was born on 9 June 1889 at Allanburn, Ashwick Flat, the sixth son of Robert and Helen (née Long) Allan. Robert Allan emigrated from Scotland in the mid-1860s and took up work as a shepherd then as station manager in the Mackenzie Country of South Canterbury. In 1877 he married New Zealand-born Helen Long. They were to have nine sons and three daughters. Mr Robert Allan was the first chairman of Ashwick Flat School, having been active in establishing the school. He held the position for some years. Our Ashwick School friends are fortunate in having of something like 50 acres of land attached to the school, so that though the quality is far from the best, ample room is afforded for the worthy observance of Arbor Day, and the local folk, headed by the energetic chairman, Mr R. Allan, are certainly not wanting in the excellent work of tree-planting, as illustrated, for instance, by this year’s performance — something like 400 trees being planted during the “Arbor Day” picnic. [Timaru Herald. 1 October 1912.] Back in August 1893, “Arbor Day was duly observed on Ashwick Flat, where a fair-sized gathering of residents and a great many children assembled in the school ground about midday. Three hundred trees, the gift of the chairman, Mr R. Allan were planted there in a short time. The ladies contributed a fair share of labour, and the children showed great interest in the new institution. An excellent tea, provided by the ladies of the district, was laid afterwards in the school, and dispensed by Mesdames Allen, Bain, and Harvey. A very pleasant day was brought to a conclusion by a social evening in the school; the only drawback to which being that many who would otherwise have come were prevented by the rain, which commenced about 4 o'clock in the afternoon.” The Allan children were educated at Ashwick Flat School, where young Walter was admitted two days after his fifth birthday.

Walter was farming at Raincliff when he enlisted on 10 February 1916 at Trentham, giving his address as Ashwick Flat, Fairlie. Single and Presbyterian, he named his father as next-of-kin – Robert Allan, Ashwick Flat, Fairlie. He had been medically examined at Fairlie on 24 January 1916. He stood at 5 feet 8½ inches, weighed 160 pounds, and had a chest measurement of 35-39 inches, a fair complexion, grey-brown eyes and brown hair. His sight was 6/9 for both eyes; his hearing, colour vision and teeth were all good; his limbs and chest were well formed; and his heart and lungs were normal. He was free from diseases and was in good bodily and mental health, though not vaccinated. He had not been off work through illness or accident.

Private W. Allan embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 13th Reinforcements, departing from Wellington on 27 May 1916. Disembarking at Devonport on 26 July 1916, he marched into camp at Sling on 28 July 1916. He then marched out from Sling on 14 September 1916 and proceeded overseas to France on active service, joining his unit on 22 September. On 29 December 1916, Walter Allan was charged for the loss of equipment by neglect. Private Allan was appointed lance corporal on 2 February 1917 then promoted to corporal on 24 March. Wounded in action – slight gunshot wounds to the right eye - on 8 June 1917, he was admitted first to the 77th Field Ambulance then to the Casualty Clearing Station. The next day [9 June 1917] he was admitted to the General Hospital at Camiers. Mr and Mrs Allan, of Ashwick Flat, received news to this effect about two weeks later. Walter had been serving in France for nine months and had twice gained promotion in the field when he was wounded. Just a few days later they were advised that he had been admitted to hospital in England. On 13 June he had embarked for England where he was admitted to No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames on 14 June. Following transfer to the Convalescent hospital at Hornchurch on 19 June, he was attached to Strength at the Command Depot at Codford on 30 June. Transferred from the New Zealand Depot at Codford to the New Zealand Reserve Group at Sling on 25 September 1917, he again proceeded overseas on 11 November 1917 and rejoined his unit from Base on 18 December. He was promoted to Sergeant on 31 December in place of a sergeant who had been killed.

Nominated on 8 June 1918 by the Officer Commanding for training in the Officer Cadet Unit in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, he was detached to England for training in the Officer Training Corps on 17 June. He was posted to No. 6 Officer Cadet Battalion at Oxford on 5 July. He was appointed permanent 2 Lieutenant and posted to the Canterbury Regiment on 27 January 1919. Having been admitted to No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital at Codford on 23 April 1919, suffering from Trench Mouth, he was discharged to Codford and marched into B Group on 15 May. A medical examination was conducted at Codford on 20 May 1919. Most aspects were good, his eyesight still a little defective. He had been subject to myalgia in the shoulders pre-war and at this time he experienced slight tenderness. He had no disability as a result of War Service. The Trench Mouth was attributed to infection while on Active Service with B Group. He received dental treatment. On 9 June he marched out to A Group at Sling and was given leave till 20 June. He was afterwards detained in London by Medical Authorities for Medical Treatment.

The “Ayrshire”, which was due to berth at Lyttelton on 19 September 1919, brought home Lieutenant W. Allan, of Fairlie, for demobilization. He had embarked at Liverpool on 5 August. He returned to Ashwick Flat, Fairlie via Timaru. Walter was discharged on 18 October 1919 and awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He was struck off the Strength of the NZEF and absorbed into the unattached general list with the rank of 2 Lieutenant. At the annual meeting of the Ashwick Flat Patriotic Entertainment Committee in May 1919, it was noted “For the guidance of the incoming committee the following local men are mentioned as due to receive the customary welcome home social (and presentation to those who received no presentation on departing) . . . . . . , W. Allan, . . . . . . The committee feel that too much cannot be done for the brave lads who have assisted to bring about the victory of the Allies.” A welcome home in Ashwick Flat School for ten returned soldiers – W. Allan included – was planned for 8 October 1919. A social – 42nd Soldiers’ Social and 2nd last – to welcome home several soldiers, Lieutenant W. Allan among them, was held in the Fairlie Town Hall on 23 October. Come the night and there were fourteen returned soldiers and one visitor present. “There was an overflowing attendance, and excellent music was provided by the Albury Orchestra . . . . . . . An address of welcome was given by the chairman of the committee . . . . . . The evening was thoroughly successful, and credit for that is due to the efforts of the secretary . . . . . . and the members of both the ladies’ and gentlemen’s committees.”

Walter resumed farming at Ashwick Flat. In September 1920 a meeting was held in the Fairlie Fire Brigade Station for the purpose of reviving the Gun Club for the Fairlie district. It was decided that in the interests of the sport the three clubs — Fairlie, Kimbell and Ashwick Flat — should amalgamate, and carry on in one strong body, as the Ashwick Flat Gun Club. W. Allan was elected to a committee to make the necessary arrangements for a shoot to be held on a date to be decided at a future meeting. At the third shoot of the 1922 season in connection with the Ashwick Flat Gun Club’s competition was held at Kimbell in late August, W. Allan scored well in the Open Handicap Match. Walter also took a keen interest in the Ashwick Flat School. At a meeting in August 1923 to discuss the proposal to convey the children to the Fairlie School, “Mr Walter Allan stated that he was a bachelor, and therefore had no vote on the matter, but if he had children he would do all he could against this silly proposal. He said that in his experience as a soldier he found that the best educated men came from the country, and had been educated at just such schools at Ashwick Flat. Then too, infectious diseases were more often contracted in larger schools, and by this scheme would be distributed over a large area of country.” Most of the parents, however, endorsed the proposal. But, a few days later, Walter wrote a lengthy letter to the Editor of the Timaru Herald, expressing a change of heart – “since giving it further consideration it has become apparent to me that the advantages have a strong tendency to out-weigh the disadvantages connected with the method, and although I am not prepared to say that it is practical, it is distinctly obvious that any proposal which promotes easier access from primary to higher schools, is worthy of more and still more consideration. This to my mind is the principal outstanding, point in its favour.” It was not until 1942 that Ashwick Flat School consolidated on Fairlie.

On 7 July 1924 at St Columba Presbyterian Manse, Fairlie, Walter Allan (Ashwick Flat, Fairlie) married Mary Annie Jane McKay (Allandale, Fairlie), the sister of William Goldtrap McKay who had also served in World War One. Walter’s oldest brother, Richard Allan, had married Mary’s sistermargarette Hendry McKay more than twenty years earlier. After their marriage, Walter and Mary lived at Allandale near Fairlie then specifically at “Mt Michael”, Fairlie. His brother Richard Allan had married her sister Margarette Hendry McKay in 1903. Mr W. Allan, of Mount Michael, Allandale, Fairlie, presented a pair of crossbred Paradise-Muscovy ducks to the Timaru Domain and was accorded a vote of thanks at the meeting of the Borough Council on 10 October 1927. At the annual meeting of the householders of Ashwick Flat in May 1928, Mr W. Allan was elected to the new School Committee. He was re-elected in 1929. “The only local authority is the School Committee, and in this field, Ashwick Flat is well served.” And elected again in 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1934. Mr W. Allan and Mrs Walter Allan were present at the annual ball held by the Allandale bachelors and spinsters in October 1932, as were Mr Wilf Allan, Walter’s youngest brother, and Mrs Wilfred Allan.

Mackenzie County ratepayers who attended a meeting at Allandale in mid-June 1936 carried without dissent a motion protesting against the increase in the rates struck by the Council. Mr Walter Allan said he had enjoyed the discussion as far as it had gone, but he thought the problem went deeper than had so far been demonstrated. He blamed the trouble on to “the present tom-fool monetary system,” and thought that when the Government now in power made its efforts felt, the difficulties would disappear. Farmers were justified in repudiating the increase in rates because their returns did not meet the expenses of production. It was a matter of waiting two years until a new monetary system got under way. Mr Allan was congratulated on what he had said. Mr Walter Allan said ratepayers could either accept the rate or refuse it. In order to test the spirit of the meeting, he said, he would move that the meeting should keep to last’s year’s rate and refuse to pay any more. . . . . . . When the chairman said defiance could not be connected with the motion, Mr Allan agreed to alter his motion to a “protest against the higher rate for 1936-37,” which was put and carried.

When the Mackenzie Collie club’s special prizes were awarded at the beginning of April 1938, W. Allan was equal for second prize in Mr T. D. Burnett’s event – a subscription to “The Timaru Herald” (6 months). He also received Mr H. Welsh’s set of horse shoes for the local competitor with most entries, but who did not gain a prize. At the Mackenzie County Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s Highland show in April 1941, Walter Allan was placed first of ten entries in the long-haired collie working dog section.

Walter Allan died at Timaru on 17 August 1947, aged 58 years, and was buried in the Fairlie Cemetery after a short service at St Columba Church, Fairlie. The Returned Men paraded from the Council Chambers to the Funeral to pay their respects. Walter and Mary had no children. He bequeathed all of his estate to his wife Mary Annie Jane Allan, appointing her sole executrix. Some time after his death, she moved to the North Island, probably to be closer to some of her own family. Mary Annie Jane Allan died at Gisborne on 11 September 1972 and was buried in Taruheru Cemetery, although she had stipulated in her Will that she be buried in the plot beside her late husband in the Fairlie Cemetery. She did leave a sum of money for the benefit of the Gisborne and Fairlie Presbyterian churches.

Walter’s brother Alexander Allan also served in World War One. Three other brothers – Richard Allan (who had served in the South African War), George James Allan and William Alan Allan - were listed on the Reserve Rolls, George going on to enlist. Several nephews served in World War Two – Walter Alexander Yates (who was named for his two uncles Walter and Alexander while they were serving overseas), Walter Deryck Allan (prisoner of war in Italy, 1942), Alexander Edgar Allan, Wilfred Lloyd George Allan, Robert Allan Cartwright, Leslie George Allan, Ronald Wright Allan, and Lyndsay Wilfred Allan who served with the Seaforth Highlanders and was safe back in Scotland in May 1945 after five years as a prisoner of war in Germany.

Walter’s name is inscribed on the Ashwick Flat War Memorial Roll of Honour for returned men. The Ashwick Flat Memorial was unveiled in June 1921 in the presence of about 250 people. The National Anthem was sung at the beginning of proceedings, addresses were given by local dignitaries, the hymn “Oh God Our Help in Ages Past” was sung, a prayer of dedication was offered and all gathered joined in the Lord’s Prayer. After the unveiling a piper played “The Flowers of the Forest” and the bugler sounded “The Last Post”. A memorial oak had been planted before the ceremony. Engraved on the west side of this impressive monument are the names of seven men who fell in the Great War, while on another side are the names of twenty-nine 1914-1918 Returned men, A. Allan and W. Allan among them. The 1939-1945 Returned panel lists R. L. Allan and R. W. Allan.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [03 May 2015; 12 January 2025]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5520 0007503) [03 May 2015]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Collections – Record number 0126788) [12 January 2025]; NZ BDM Historical Records (Department of Internal Affairs) [03 May 2015]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [27 December 2024]; South Canterbury Times, 7 August 1893, 30 April 1894, Timaru Herald, 8 August 1893, 30 April 1908, 1 October 1912, 25 June 1917, 29 June 1917 [x 2], 14 May 1919, 30 August 1919, 2, 3, 6, 7, 21 & 27 October 1919, 28 September 1920, 28 August 1922, 18 & 21 August 1923, 11 October 1927, 12 May 1928, 20 May 1929, 14 May 1930, 4 July 1931, 3 May 1932, 18 October 1932, 31 May 1934, 17 June 1936, 5 April 1938, Sun, 29 August 1919, Press, 29 August 1919, 15 April 1941, Lyttelton Times, 29 August 1919, Temuka Leader, 14 June 1921 (Papers Past) [03 May 2015; 07 February 2018; 09 September 2022; 11 & 12 January 2025]; Timaru Herald, 18 August 1947 (Timaru District Library) [04 May 2015]; Fairlie Cemetery headstone transcription (South Canterbury Branch NZSG cemetery records microfiche) [03 May 2015]; Taruheru Cemetery records; Probate record (Archives NZ/Family Seach) [13 July 2015]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [27 December 2024]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• ALLAN Walter newspaper clippings (pdf, 126.3 KB updated 18-Feb-2025)

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Scoiety

Currently Assigned to

TS