"Life as a Musician of the Royal Naval School of Music"

The Story of Bandmaster John Allen Part 2

by Marcher

Part one of this article, featured in the previous issue, contained the following:

'In October 1914 he was drafted to the Band of the Royal Naval Brigade that had been newly formed by the Royal Naval School of Music. Corporal John Allen remained with the Royal Naval Brigade, later renamed the Royal Naval Division, until January 1916 when he once again returned to Eastney.'
So what happened during the period October 1914 to January 1916?

On the 4 October 1914 the Band of the Royal Naval Brigade under Bandmaster 1st Class Mr W E 'Pop' Faithfull mobilised to Antwerp, taking their instruments with them. During the defence of the city the band acted as a Red Cross party. When they evacuated Antwerp Bandmaster Faithfull, with sixteen of his band, inadvertently crossed the Holland frontier, for which the penalty was internment for the duration of the war. However, being non-combatants, they were allowed to proceed to England and they were back at Eastney by the 12 October. (The Germans captured Musician V H Alley but he subsequently escaped and made his way to England. The other four members of the band were interned).

The Rt Hon Winston S Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, had issued detailed instructions relating to the structure and formation of the Division. They included the following memorandum.

'Thirty two Instructors RM will also join the camp (near Deal) on Friday next, the 21st. Seventeen Retired Officers, RN, are also available and will be appointed shortly. The appointment of all officers to special positions, like the command of companies and battalions, must at this stage be regarded as provisional and subject to confirmation at the end of the first month. A band must be provided. The quality is not important. There must be sufficient pupils at the Naval School of Music to provide for this'.

So John Allen and the other members of the band whose 'quality was not important' rejoined the Royal Naval Division under canvas at Walmer, Kent on October the 15th. The Division moved to the Crystal Palace for basic training on the 2nd November. Despite the presence of the servicemen and their equipment the Palace was kept open to the public - although the National Dahlia Show and the Brass Band Festival had to be cancelled! (Between 1915 and 1919 this became, officially, HMS Crystal Palace and was used for RNVR Training). From there, as part of the Drake Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, they moved to Duns in Berwickshire on the 23rd November where they lived in stables at Duns Castle. Drake Battalion left Duns during January for the newly built Blandford Camp where they then lived in huts.

On the 28th February Drake Battalion, now the 1st Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the Royal Naval Division, left Blandford for Avonmouth where they embarked in the SS Franconia. It would appear that instruments were not taken on board - they were certainly not taken ashore, unlike Antwerp. The Battalion comprised 33 officers and 996 other ranks, plus 14 riding horses, 64 draught mules, 9 pack mules and 5 spare mules. An assortment of twenty-five carts and wagons were taken. The ships carrying the Division put in at Valetta, Malta on the 8th March, departed the next day and on the 11th dropped anchor off the island of Lemnos. On the 17th the ships took part in a diversion designed to distract the Turks from the attempt by British and French fleets to force the Dardanelles by naval power. The fleet returned to Lemnos until the 24th when it sailed for Port Said, arriving and disembarking on the 28th March. The fleet put to sea on the 10th April intending to use the Lemnos anchorage once more. However on this occasion it was already full and they had to use the island of Skyros. On the 24th the fleet sailed for the Dardanelles where the Franconia and other ships carrying the RND made a feint to land on the mainland whilst the actual landings took place on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Next day, the attack having been successful, the Franconia was ordered at full speed to Cape Helles where the Division, including the band as first aid party and stretcher-bearers, went ashore at about 0800hrs on the 26th April 1915. Between the 26th April and the 24th December 1915, when it was recalled for Sea Service, the band members were part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the Dardanelles. Drake Battalion formed up on the beach and in silence, marched in single file to a place on the cliffs about a mile away. It was very cold and little sleep was had. Next morning they were bombed by two Turkish planes but the bombing was ineffective. The Turkish artillery was also shelling the position. There was no shelter from either shell or shrapnel since orders had been given not to dig-in for fear of digging up dead men. Bodies were strewn all over the cliffs.

John Allen's own words best describe what it was like during that period.

28th April. At noon we set off in artillery formation for the firing line, collecting wounded on the way. Our Battalion acted as supports to the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Border Regiment. Jack Hucknall and Major Barker killed this evening. At 9pm it was raining heavily and we all huddled together like a rugby scrum, heads to the centre to try and sleep. About 10pm we were called to go to the firing line to collect wounded. We dressed the wounds of about 8 men and carried them away, a very difficult task as there were no roads and we had to find our way through heather, gorse and brushwood to 'X' Beach where they were taken on board ship. We finished about 3am, wet through, and lay down in an old Turkish trench to sleep.

29th April. 6am. Again called to collect wounded about two miles from the beach and by the time we had found our Battalion again, it was time for breakfast at 1.30pm. We were now about 200 yards behind the firing line and made our post on top of one of the banks of the Great Dongha (now known as Gulley Ravine) amongst shrubs and heather and trees, and each stretcher party in turn kept watch for two hours, the country being full of snipers. During the two days since leaving camp, we only had 'iron rations', but on the morning of the 30th the Borderers supplied us with food, which wasn't up to our usual ration, but thankfully received by us. After two days of heavy shelling by the Turks, the Doctor decided that it was too dangerous for us to continue on the one and only road from Krithia, so we had to make our way round the coast; at times walking on the edge of precipitous cliffs and at other times waist deep in water. When we did eventually find the so-called rest camp (stores) of the Battalion, the Quartermaster was only prepared to issue two days' rations for four men, instead of 24, as he had been informed that all were killed except four.

7th May. Drake Battalion left for the trenches and for the next few days the stretcher party was kept busy as there was plenty of fighting. Throughout the next two weeks there was continuous shelling.

17th May. We had fresh meat for dinner for the first time since leaving the Franconia, and with preserved onions and potatoes, it made a fine stew.

19th May. We went for a bathe in the Dardanelles. Quite safe, as there was an aeroplane overhead.

24th May. Whit Monday. Ought to be wet Monday, for everything wet through and the trenches thick with mud. Major Wilson shot through the head and died in half an hour. I had to fetch his body from advanced trenches, too narrow for a stretcher. Had to lift him over our heads; couldn't keep our feet for mud.

25th May. Heavy rain swamped the trenches, so plenty of gravy for those who were cooking. All the time a heavy dose of shrapnel which was well answered by our artillery. Decided now that it was much safer in the trenches than in the Rest Camp. Violent artillery duel in the evening and Maxim and rifle fire at night. Drake Battalion retired to the Rest Camp through mud two feet deep.
A composite Brigade comprising the Drake and Plymouth Battalions and the 1st Lancashire fusiliers was formed in May 1915 and, for a short time, they served with Australians and New Zealanders brought to Helles from Anzac Cove.

10th June. Strong wind and plenty of dust and Turks artillery firing all day. Covered in dust from head to foot for three days.

13th June. Issue of fresh potatoes and onions today (first time). With fresh meat it was splendid, but flies are thick on everything now.

16th June. Heavy bombardment. Bandmaster Faithfull wounded for the second time so I have taken over his duties.
Throughout June and July the bombardment increased and by mid-July the trenches, now occupied, were literally strewn with dead of both sides, Turks in great majority. We had to wear respirators in the trenches owing to the stench from dead bodies.

24th July. Report that Kinsey is dead. (Wounded 14th) [Musician Bertram Kinsey, RMB/1803].

7th August. Too busy with sick to keep daily diary now. (reached 150)

5th September. The most awful night one could imagine; shells bursting of all kinds near to us. Worst night we have had.

27th September. Telegram from Kitchener of big advance in France. At 7pm a Bugler sounded the Royal Salute, then simultaneously every gun in the Peninsula fired 21 rounds, after which all troops gave three cheers. The Turks thinking we were attacking, wasted no end of all sorts of ammunition to stop us.

20th October. I visited our machine gunners in 'MacTurk Alley', where last time there was dead of both sides all around. The chief and I were rather exposed, and were sniped at. Saw a skeleton with a bandage still round its skull.
Bitterly cold in the trenches in November and December.

16th December. Officially told we were being recalled to England. The trench where our 'Aid Post' is situated this time is the worst shrapnelled and shelled (high explosive) we have yet been in.

21st December. Rained heavily all night and we were flooded out in our dug-out. Wounded casualties every night.

22nd December. Returned to the Rest Camp through water and mud up to the waist.

24th December. Left camp for V-Beach at 8pm. On arrival there 'Asiatic Annie' said goodbye to us by dropping very close. Lucky for us it didn't burst. French Commander arranged passage for us in one of their boats and we were all on deck to see the last of Cape Helles when we steamed away at midnight.

25th December. Arrived Mudros early on Christmas morning. After a lot of trouble managed to get nicely settled on SS Aragon. (HQ Ship).

31st December. Left Aragon today and embarked SS Grampian.

1st January. Steamed out of Mudros.

3rd January. Arrived Alexandria.Whilst at Alexandria we were accommodated in tents at Mustapha Barracks while awaiting passage to England. B/M Faithfull was here as Acting Quartermaster and Supply Officer of the RND Transit Camp.

16th January. Left Alexandria in the SS Manitou.

29th January. Arrived Eastney.

Shortly after their return a photograph was taken. The conditions, sights, sounds and memories of the previous eight months seemed etched into their expressions.

On the 31st July 1915 both John Allen and Bandmaster Faithfull were Mentioned in Despatches - 'Behaved in a gallant and courageous manner in action at Cape Helles 17th May to 31st July'. John Allen's record of this was carried in the London Gazette on the 28 January 1916. The two of them, plus Musician Allingham, also received a Card for Special Service signed by Major-General Paris, RM, General Officer Commanding the Royal Naval Division. Three musicians from Drake Battalion, (Billings, Kensey and Harper) were killed at Gallipoli. The Royal Naval Division was to remain at Helles until the very end, the last of its units leaving on the night of the 8/9 January 1916, only two weeks after the band were withdrawn.

Author's Footnote: I had thought that the story of John Allen was as complete as it could be but a few days after the publication of the first part of this story I received a letter from the son of John Allen. Through subsequent correspondence a few of the gaps have been filled. The reason that he was admitted to Bermuda Hospital, as reported in the previous issue, was a very severe attack of asthma. This condition dogged him for the rest of his life. His discharge coincided with the 'Depression' but he managed to find work and for a time he was musical instructor and Bandmaster at an orphanage at Marston Green, Birmingham. This closed in 1933 and finding suitable employment again became difficult. He was offered positions in the Hippodrome Orchestra in Birmingham and a colliery band in Durham but by the late 1930's he had become Conductor of the Post Office Orchestra in Birmingham. This became the Midlands Light Orchestra. During the war he served in the Home Guard at Telephone House and ended his working life as a Commissionaire there. He spent his retirement in Birmingham and died on the 3rd February 1978 aged 88.