Rodney John Allen (SN 4978) born in Ballarat, was a 22 year old fruiterer when he enlisted in Ballarat on June 29th 1917. He embarked aboard the Ulysses on December 22nd and sailed to England. Assigned to the 29th Infantry Battalion, he was moved to France in May 1918.In July he suffered severe wounds to his face and to his elbow and was evacuated to hospital in England. His war was over, and he was returned to Australia aboard the Morvada, disembarked at Melbourne on February 14th 1919 and was discharged medically unfit on June 5th.

Lucas’s Staffs Appreciation of Brave Men, the original Avenue register, records his name as John R. Allen