Delmar Richard Allen
Service No.: 37415606
Ship Assignment: USS LST-531
ABMC Memorial Page: Click Here
Corporal Delmar Richard Allen was born on August 23, 1923, in Crystal City, Jefferson County, Missouri, to parents Clem “Jack” and Elva Allen.
Delmar had a sister, Marcella, and two half siblings, Godfrey and Jackie.
Military Service
Enlisting in the U.S. Army on 1st February, 1943, alongside his classmate Howard W. Wagner. Allen served in the 3206th Quartermaster Service Company during World War II.
On arrival in the UK, Delmar’s unit was stationed in St Anthony, Cornwall, to train for the forthcoming D-Day invasion, 6th June, 1944. Prior to Exercise Tiger, the 3206th were put aboard LST-531 at Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth in Devon.
On April 28, 1944, at the age of 21, Corporal Allen was among the casualties of Exercise Tiger, a D-Day rehearsal operation off the coast of Devon, England. Part of convoy T-4, LST-531 was one of the ships attacked by German E-boats in Lyme Bay. The ship was hit by torpedoes and sank, resulting in significant loss of life.
Corporal Allen was initially reported as Missing in Action (MIA). Sadly, on 10th August, 1944, his family received notification that he had been Killed in Action (KIA) on 28th April, 1944. His body was never recovered.
Honours and Memorials
Corporal Delmar Allen was awarded a Purple Heart.
Delmar’s name is inscribed in the American Roll of Honour book in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and is commemorated on Tablets of the Missing at the American Battle Monuments Commission Cemetery and Memorial, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
