Very little is know about Bertie Allen except he was the son of James and Catherine (nee Hibbert) who were living at 25 Reuban Street, Heaton Norris in the early 1920s,when the War Graves Commission collated its next of kin information. The family had previously lived in Reddish where Albert was born. He worked at locally at Gregg’s mill.

He was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in the attack described here. His comrade and ex-workmate, Harry Hall, last saw him wounded and heading back towards a first aid station. His cousin, John Allen, was also killed.