Francis Allen

Francis L. Allen (March 4, 1921 – Jan. 30, 1945) was a soldier from Pioneer who was killed in action in World War II.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born March 4, 1921, Francis Allen was the oldest son of John Allen (1886-1960) and Cora Edith Evans (1900-1960). His siblings included Mary Julia Collns (1923-1990), Hiram Joseph Allen (1924-1988) and John Robert Allen (1928-1995).

The Allen family was from Campbell County and that is where Francis grew up, but they had moved to eastern Scott County by 1940 and lived on S.R. 63 in the Straight Fork community.

World War II

Pvt. Allen enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 12, 1940 at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. He was assigned to Co. G, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

Pvt. Allen was involved in the European theater of the war, and his division was fighting from Belgium across the German border when he was severely wounded on Jan. 29, 1945. He died the next day.

Aftermath

Pvt. Allen was buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium, along with nearly 8,000 of his American brothers in arms.

He is listed on the VFW Post 5669 Memorial Wall in Oneida, the Scott County Veterans Memorial in Huntsville, and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville.