Collection of material relating to Stephen Charles Allen and Robert Beattie Allen, 1916-1944 - Part 3

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Also I will write to you again & keep 
in Touch with you, in case I should hear  
more news of interest to you.  Trusting 
you are having the Best of health. I 
Treat your wory & Trouble as God makes  
them for us.  Will Be delighted to hear 
from you again. 
I am 
Believe me 
Respectfully and Fraternally  
A.J. Assenheim 
Sgt 

DONATED RECORDS
7531
3rd Series (19)

E.G.  B.R. Form No. 6. 
In all communications regimental number, 
rank, full name, and unit of Soldier referred 
to are to be stated. 
  
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE 
BASE RECORDS OFFICE, 
VICTORIA BARRACKS 
MELBOURNE.  25th September 1917. 
  
DEAR Madam, 
I have to acknowledge receipt of your communication of 16th inst., 
and enclose herewith, as requested, certificates of reports of death of the late 
No. 3003 Private R. B. Allen, 13th Battalion, and No. 3002 Private  
S.C. Allen, 13th Battalion. 
Yours faithfully,
 J. M. LEAN, Major,
Officer in Charge, Base Records.
  
Mrs. H. Allen,                                                
63 Pittwater Road,                                      
MANLY.
N.S.W.
D.183/3.17.-C.3413.

Y.M.C.A 
WITH 
THE 
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. 
  
No. 232 Pte E.C Fry 
Army Vety Corps 
A.I.F. 
England 
5.2.18 
  
Dear Miss Allen 
Your very welcome  
letter of 31st Oct has just arrived 
and I was very pleased 
to receive it, and I trust  
this answer will find your  
mother & self in the best of  
health. 
I am very very sorry 
to know you have received 
such cruel news and 
deeply sympathise with you 
in your great loss.  May the 
knowledge that your brothers 
died doing their most sacred  
duty bring your mother &  
 

  
Y.M.C.A 
WITH 
THE 
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. 
2        
self some measure of comfort 
rest assured, dear friend 
that both are safe at rest 
with our beloved Master and  
the memories of by-gone  
happiness will help you  
both to bear your great  
loss. 
I will do my very 
best dear friend to give 
you some information of 
them, and have already 
met one man who knew  
your elder brother, and  
from what he says, he was  
very popular with every 
one.  All he could tell

3 
me only confirms the news you 
already have.  I will do my 
best to try and get you 
a photo of their grave. 
Yes it is a pleasure  
to be back in civilization 
once more, but times are 
very hard just at the 
present time.  You have every  
reason to be proud of Australia,  
which is I believe 
the finest country in the 
world. and we can draw  
some comfort in the know
ledge that all our dear  
ones live in a land of 
plenty and have no fear 
of a shortage of food. 
Here in this country it is 
terrible and it is pitiful 
to see women and children 
standing for hours in front 
 

Y.M.C.A 
WITH 
THE 
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. 
4 
of shops only to be told that 
they can get nothing.  Many  
a man & woman in England 
today goes to work hungry 
but they tighten their belts 
and carry on in such a way 
as to show they are determined
to go in and win at   
all costs. 
As you say it does  
appear that some of the people 
over here have a liking for 
our soldiers for I believe 
over 8,000 of our boys have 
been married.  For my part 
Miss Minnie I think they are 
easily pleased. and when  
 

Y.M.C.A 
WITH 
THE 
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. 
5 
my time comes I am fussy 
enough to want a little 
Australian Girl, that is
if there is one who is not
hard to please. However we
cannot complain about the
treatment we have received
for it has been of the best.
I think I am glad
to hear you kept clear of 
the conscription issue as
it is a very far reaching
question. One volunteer is
worth a dozen conscripts and 
if the voluntary system has
failed I am of the opinion
that those who are in authority

Y.M.C.A
WITH 
THE
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE.
6
are to blame. When it is
all over the men who have
served will come into their
own, if everyone is as staunch
a soldiers friend as you
appear to be.
You have asked me
a very hard question to
answer, about the lonely
soldier but I will be as
candid as possible about
it. Now in England I do
believe it is only a farce, as
the idea was I believe
originated for men who had
no relations or friends in
Australia and most of

7
men who came under that
heading were natives of this
country. Now that they are
in their native country
it does sound funny to call
them lonely soldiers doesnt it
when as a matter of fact
they are better off than
the average Australian.
But the boys on the desert
are totally different and I
am sure the lonely soldiers
is in fact a reality in that
part of the globe, and I can
assure you that your sisters
letters will not only be welcome
but appreciated. I hope you
will continue to write to
me, although I am now
in Blighty for I am not one
of the natives of Blighty but
a dinky die Australian

I am afraid I have
excelled myself in the matter
of writing, but that comes of
being very interested in
the work in hand. Still
before closing I must tell
you about the latest air-
raid which was a very serious
affair.
Well it happened
last Monday week and there
were two attacks on the one
night, one early in the evening
and the other about
midnight. There were terrible
scenes. Men women and
children rushing & tearing
in all directions for shelter
In one crowd alone 17 people
were trampled to death. In
another place a bomb dropped
on top of a building that