Aircraftman 2nd Class Victor Edward Allman RAF 1941

1452304 Aircraftman 2nd Cl.

V.E.ALLMAN

Royal Air Force

15th September 1941 Age 41

 

Until the day break

And the shadows flee away

 

ALLMAN, VICTOR EDWARD

Rank:……………………………..Aircraftman 2nd Class

Service No:…………………….1452304

Date of Death:……………….15/09/1941

Age:………………………………..41

Service:…………………………..Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Grave Reference:……………Sec. 54. Grave 522.

Cemetery:……………………….NORWICH CEMETERY, NORFOLK

Additional Information:

Son of Robert and Emily Allman, of Norwich; husband of Bessie Elizabeth Allman, of Norwich.

CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2764123/ALLMAN,%20VIC...

 

January to March quarter 1901

 

The nearest to a match for the birth of this Airman in England and Wales was the one registered for an Edward Victor Allman in the Norwich District in Q1 of 1901. That doesn’t quite tie up with him being 41 by the time he died.

 

1901 Census

 

The birth registered earlier in the year seems to be corroborated by the census taken at the start of April, where an Edward Allman is recorded as three months old. He was living at 48 West Pottergate Street, Norwich which was the household of his parents, Robert, (aged 40 and a Shoemaker and Shopkeeper from Norwich), and Emily, (aged 30 and from Brightlingsea, Essex). Given Emily’s age I’m assuming Robert has been widowed and re-married, as his eldest son Arthur is aged 15 and a Grocers Assistant from Colchester, Essex. As well as Edward and Arthur, the other children in the household are:-

George…………aged 12………born Colchester

Lily……………….aged 9…………born Colchester

May……………..aged 5………..born Brightlingsea

 

Victor would go on to marry a Bessie Elizabeth Pask when he grew up, but there is no trace of a birth recorded in England and Wales for anyone with that name, or on the relevant censuses. Of course she could have been born elsewhere and then came to England later in her life. One intriguing possibility though is that a Bessie E Blazey married an Alfred H Pask in the Norwich District in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1921. If Alfred had died then there would have been a widow Bessie E Pask possibly living in the Norwich area. There are two potential Norwich candidates, an Alfred H who died aged 52 in the April to June quarter of 1929, and an Alfred Harry born 1906 who did not die until 1997. Unless we are talking divorce, (unlikely and very costly at that time), I decided to concentrate on the first alternative. The 1929 Probate calendar has an entry for an Alfred Harry Pask of 1 Henderson Road, Norwich, who died on the 9th April 1929. Administration of his estate was granted at the Norwich court on the 7th May to his widow, Bessie Elizabeth Pask.

Source: probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Pask&ye...

Alfred and Bessie probably had a daughter – the birth of a Thelma J Pask, mothers maiden name Blazey, was recorded in the Norwich District in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1922.

 

The birth of a Bessie Elizabeth Blazey was recorded in the Forehoe District of Norfolk in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1896.

 

The 5 year old Bessie, born Wymondham, was recorded at a dwelling on Poplar Street, Wymondham on the 1901 census. (Wymondham is in the District of Forehoe). This was the household of her parents John and Annie plus 5 siblings.

 

1902-03 Electoral Register for Norwich

 

Robert Allman was entitled to vote as the head of a household. The Electoral Register valid for the period 1902-03 records that he had moved from 48 West Pottergate Street, first to 12 Douro’s Yard, West Pottergate Street and was now resident at 15 Home Street.

Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9K-9HT

 

1903-04 Electoral Register for Norwich

 

Robert Allman was the householder at 15 Home Street

Source 1903-04: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9K-1VD

 

1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09, 1909-10 and 1910-11 Electoral Registers for Norwich

 

The family had moved to 6 Home Street from 15 Home Street by the time the 1904-05 Register was compiled.

1904-05 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C92-1HG

1905-06 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9L-BD5

1906-07 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9P-MMP

1907-08 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C95-RVD

1908-09 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9R-1Z7

1909-10 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9Y-MZZ

1910-11 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C9B-9P5

 

1911 Census

 

The 10 year old Victor Allman is now recorded living with his family at 6 Home Street, Norwich. Father Robert, (57 and Bootmaker) and mother Emily, (37) have been married 10 years but state they have had 15 children of which 10 were then still alive. All ten were originally listed, but one, George, (aged 22 and a Hotel Porter from Colchester), was presumably counted elsewhere on the night of the census and his line has been struck through. The remaining children at home are:-

Arthur……….aged 25……..born Colchester…..Domestic Chauffeur

Lily…………….aged 17……..born Colchester…..General Domestic

May…………..aged 14……..born Brightlingsea

Frank…………aged 8……….born Norwich

William……..aged 5……….born Norwich

Voilet………..aged 4……….born Norwich

Edward……..aged 2……….born Norwich

Albert……….aged 10 months….born Norwich

 

Brother George William Allman was actually recorded on duty at the Maid’s Head, Wensum Street, Norwich.

 

The possible candidate for Victor’s future wife, then known as Bessie Blazey, had moved with her widowed mother Annie to 13 Denbigh Road, Park Lane, Norwich. Then aged 15, she was employed as a Tailoress.

 

1911-12, 1912-13 Electoral Registers for Norwich

 

Robert Allman was still recorded as the householder at 6 Home Street.

1911-12 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2C91-W3S

1912-13 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CSM-4T3

 

1914-15 Electoral Register for Norwich

 

The family were now at 81 Russell Street.

1914-15 Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CS9-VMD

 

July to September 1931

 

The marriage of a Victor E Allman to a Bessie E Pask was recorded in the Norwich District in this quarter.

Source: familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV8Q-XXGH

 

There does not appear to be any instances the General Registrars Office for Index of births for England and Wales of a child being registered with the surname Allman, mothers maiden name Pask.

 

However, see my musings earlier in which I speculate that Bessie might have been a widow who remarried. If that is correct then her maiden name would have been Blazey. Checking for that combination produces just one match in England and Wales – a Rosemary D Allman, mothers maiden name Blazey, whose birth was recorded in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1939 in the Norwich District.

 

On the day

 

The death of a 41 year old Victor Allman was recorded in the North Kesteven District of Lincolnshire in the July to September quarter of 1941. This area was full of RAF station’s – one website dedicated to the activities of the RAF in Lincolnshire even calls itself “Bomber County”.

 

In the Official Casualty Communique number 97, reprinted in the edition of Flight Magazine dated 18th December 1941 there is an AC2 V E Allman who is recorded as Died on Active Service. That’s more likely to mean either illness or non-service related accident.

Source: www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%203048...

 

It may be a co-incidence, but the death of a Bessie Elizabeth Allman, born 12th September 1895, was recorded in the Norwich District in the April to June quarter of 1983.

 

Done