Stanley's Story.
Stanley Leese Allman was born in Alsager in 1893 to Ellen and John Allman. His father was a signalman on the railway and later a gardener. Stanley’s sister, Florence Evelyn, was born 1881, his brother Wilfred born 1882, sister Edith 1883, and brother John Sydney 1892. The family lived at Beech Villa, Crewe Road, Alsager. In 1911, Stanley is recorded as working as a gardener.
When he enlisted in the army on 2nd September 1914, he joined the North Staffordshire Regiment, 4th Battalion in Burslem and remained on home service in Britain until 1916. According to his service record he had grey eyes and black hair, and was five feet eight inches tall. On 24th June 1916 he was posted to the 7th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment and on the following day left Devonport to sail to Basra, Mesopotamia, where he arrived on 31st May 1916.
On 16th December 1916, he was admitted to Amara hospital with anaemia and was released to his regiment three days later. On 27th February 1917 Stanley was reported missing presumed dead. His family received photographs, a post card, and a pocket book of Stanley’s from the army. Mrs Allman wrote to the army to ask where the possessions were discovered as such small items would normally be carried on his person. There is no reply held in the records.
Stanley was commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Stanley was commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Until 1997 the Basra Memorial was located on the main quay of the naval dockyard at Maqil, on the west bank of the Shatt-al-Arab, about 8 kilometres north of Basra. The Memorial was later moved by presidential decree. The move, carried out by the authorities in Iraq, involved a considerable amount of manpower, transport costs and sheer engineering on their part, and the Memorial has been re-erected in its entirety. The Basra Memorial is now located 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah, in the middle of what was a major battleground during the first Gulf War.
Stanley is remembered on the War Memorial in Alsager.
His CWGC certificate can be downloaded here: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1655082/stanley-allman/