A Second War Canadian MID Group to Flight Lieutenant RCAF

A Second War Canadian MID Group to Flight Lieutenant RCAF - Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Overseas Clasp; War Medal 1939-1945 with MID Oak Leaf Clasp; Coronation Medal 1953; Canadian Forces' Decoration, GRVI (F/L G.R. ALLEN). Naming is officially engraved on the reverse of the suspension bar, others are unnamed. Dark patinas, original ribbons, mounted to a suspension with swing bar pinback as worn by the veteran, near extremely fine. Accompanied by thirteen pages with copies of his Service Records and Service Award Computer Cards.  Footnote: George Russell Allen was from Watrous, Saskatchewan and enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force at Regina, Saskatchewan on October 10, 1940 as an Aircraftman 2nd Class. He trained at five locations in Canada, beginning at No. 1 ITS Toronto, graduating on January 27, 1941 as a Leading Aircraftman. He later attended No. 1 Malton EFTS, No. 5 SFTS Brantford, in Ontario, before transferred to No. 12 SFTS Brandon. It was at Brandon, Manitoba that he saw four advancements in rank: Acting Flight Sergeant (December 21, 1941), Acting Warrant Officer 2nd Class (June 21, 1942), Pilot Officer (July 1, 1942) and Acting Flight Officer (April 15, 1943). In September 1943, he was transferred to No. 18 SFTS Gimli, Manitoba, where he attained the rank of Acting Flight Lieutenant on October 1, 1944. J1403 George R. Allen received a King's Commendation and was Commended for Valuable Services while at Gimli, as cited in the Canada Gazette on April 21, 1945 and in AFRO 802/45    May 11, 1945, as follows: "This officer has been a navigation instructor for over three years. His conscientious attitude toward the service has been an excellent example to the more junior instructors and as deputy flight commander he has assisted in maintaining and improving the standard of navigation at his unit to a high degree." He received the MID Oak Leaf Clasp for his War Medal 1939-1945 to acknowledge the commendation. By early April 1945, he was transferred to Moncton, New Brunswick and prepared for overseas service, embarking Canada on April 15, 1945, arriving in the United Kingdom on the 28th at No.3 Personnel Reception Centre. His records do not identify what Allen did in the U.K. What is known is that after five months service, he returned to Canada and was situated at Greenwood, Nova Scotia on September 5, 1945 and transferred to the RCAF (Reserve) General Section, Class "E" on September 17th. Post-war, Allen was posted to a number of locations in a teaching capacity, including: Trenton, Toronto, Kingston, Rockcliffe (Ontario), Montreal (Quebec), Winnipeg, Rivers, Churchill (Manitoba), Saskatoon (Saskatchewan), Edmonton, Namao (Alberta) and Fort Nelson, Sea Island (British Columbia) and achieved the designation GL Pilot (R) on October 1, 1946. He was awarded his QEII Coronation Medal 1953 on October 23, 1953 while a Flight Lieutenant (Regular Force) at the University of Saskatchewan and is documented as having taken courses at the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre (CJATC) Station Rivers in Land/Air Warfare (October 1957) and Helicopter Conversion (April to June 1959). Allen was struck off strength of the Regular Force on April 5, 1962, having served twenty-one and half years in the RCAF. He died on December 26, 1998 at Winnipeg, Manitoba.