Leslie "Bull" Allen

Leslie Charles (Clarence) Allen, (9 November 1916 – 11 May 1982), nicknamed "Bull" Allen, was an Australian soldier and a recipient of the United States' Silver Star. A stretcher-bearer, Allen enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in mid-1940, volunteering for overseas service. He was posted to the 2/5th Battalion, an infantry unit, and deployed to the Middle East where he saw action in the Western Desert and Syria–Lebanon Campaigns, before his unit returned to Australia in 1942. He subsequently served in New Guinea. In July 1943, Allen took part in the Battle of Mount Tambu where he rescued twelve United States soldiers who had been wounded in the fighting. For this action he was awarded the Silver Star. He returned to Australia later in the year and was eventually medically discharged in 1944 after his mental health deteriorated. After the war, he worked as a labourer and as a medical orderly. He died in May 1982 at the age of 65.

Early life Allen was born on 9 November 1916 in Ballarat East, Victoria, the second son of Clarance Walter Allen, a labourer, and his wife Ruby Ethel née Robertson. After an early childhood involving domestic violence, Allen, his brother, and his sister were abandoned, then raised in an orphanage.

On 30 July 1943, at Mount Tambu, Allen safely rescued twelve United States soldiers and was later awarded the Silver Star—the citation stating: "Private Allen’s bearing and his untiring efforts in tending the wounded and helping with rations and stores were an inspiration".

Later life Temporarily losing the power of speech, Allen lived with an uncle while recovering. He married Jean Elizabeth Floyd, a former army nurse, in 1949. Allen worked as a labourer and then at the Ballarat Base Hospital as a medical orderly. Allen also worked at Sovereign Hill demonstrating a horse-drawn Chilean quartz-crushing mill for tourists.