Dedicated to the memory of all the men and women of the South Staffordshire area who died during the two World Wars.
William Richard Allman was born on 2nd May, 1897 at Blymhill - where he was baptised on 6th June. He was the son of Charles Allman, a gardener's labourer, and his wife, Annie Mary. By 1901 the family were living at Glebe Cottages, Weston-under-Lizard.
Although only 17 at the outbreak of war, William joined up immediately, joining the newly raised 7th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment. After training, the Battalion embarked for Gallipoli on 26th June 1915, arriving at Gallipoli on 13th July. In August it landed at ANZAC Cove and was involved in the Battle of Sari Bair, The Battle of Russell's Top and the Battle of Hill 60. After a period at Sulva Bay it moved to the Helles bridgehead from where it was evacuated on the 8th and 9th of January, 1916. In February the Battalion was moved to Mesopotamia where it was involved in the unsuccessful attempts to relieve Kut. It saw action at the Battle of Kut-al-Amara, the capture of the Hai Salient, the capture of Dahra Bend, the passage of the Diyala and the Fall of Baghdad. After seeing much action, it was transferred to the North Persia Force in July 1918.
William was recorded as 'death presumed' on 26th August, 1918, though he may have gone missing much earlier. He is commemorated on the Basra Memorial
Private William Allman, 202149 North Staffordshire Regiment, was awarded the Victory and British War Medals. He does not appear to have received the 1914-15 Star though, if he was with his Battalion at Gallipoli, he would have been entitled to it.
William's older brother, Charles, is listed on the lych gate at Weston Cemetery as one of the men of Weston who served during the war.
This memorial has mostly been compiled from official sources. It would be good to be able to expand it with more personal material - memories, stories, photos, etc. If you have any suitable material or any corrections please contact Greg.