Jack Gilbert Allan (SN 121) from Magpie just south of Ballarat, was a 22 year old plumber when he enlisted on August 17th 1914. On October 19th he left from Melbourne with the 8th Battalion aboard the Benalla, first to Egypt before the Gallipoli landing. In August, influenza forced his evacuation from Gallipoli to hospital at Mudros but he recovered in time to return to Gallipoli for the final month of that campaign. After a couple of months of recovery and further training in Egypt he reached France in March 1916 in the role as a driver. In October 1917 he sustained a wound to his left knee but was able to rejoin his unit in mid-December. In mid-October 1918, with the end of the war in sight, he was among those selected for ‘Special 1914 Leave’ and he returned to Australia aboard the Durham, disembarking at Melbourne on December 23rd 1918.