Bernard J. Allen was born on April 22, 1920 in Utica, NY to Lionel J. Allen (1894-1959) and Martina (Regina) M. Warburton. His parents were married on June 20, 1917 in Clayville, NY. His dad was from Montreal, Canada, his mom from Creswell, Colorado. Both his parents reported working in the local cotton mill at the time of their marriage. Bernard was the second of their five children which included an older brother Paul, and younger siblings Mary (aka Regina), Rita and Leo. In 1940 the US Census recorded the family living on Main St. in Sauquoit, NY. Prior to this they lived in Paris, NY and then Clayville, NY.

Bernard graduated from Sauquoit Valley Central High School in 1938. While there he played baseball, basketball, ran track and cross country. His nickname was "Lefty" and his senior yearbook entry notes he was "A hale fellow, well met." Newspapers referred to him as Sauquoit's "star pitcher" and he won numerous sports awards in baseball and track. He was a member of the Clayville volunteer fire department and certified by the Red Cross's in emergency first aid. He worked for a time for the Paris, NY Highway Dept. and registered for the draft on July 1, 1941 in Rome, NY. Not waiting to be drafted, Bernard enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp on August 6, 1941 in Utica, NY with service number 12024738. It was during this time that Camp Stewart, Georgia was expanding and a number of units from New York, including Bernard's were assigned there.

Not much is known of his time in traning or at Camp Stewart other than he was a Staff Sgt. by April 1943. One mention of him does appear in a local paper during this time. Oct. 20, 1942 local papers note he was "of the Aviation Corp" and was "spending a few days with his parents on Gridley Boulevard". U.S. Army Hospital Admission records document that in April 1943, while stationed at Camp Stewart, Georgia he was killed by "electric shock." His remains are returned home and he is buried in the St. Mary's Cemetery, Clayville, NY.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

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 If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58397311/bernard_j-allen: accessed August 15, 2025), memorial page for Bernard J Allen (1920–1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 58397311, citing Saint Marys Cemetery, Clayville, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by KChaffeeB (contributor 46506715).

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 00791; Reel: 72

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Sauquoit Valley Central High School; Year: 1938

Year: 1930; Census Place: Paris, Oneida, New York; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0038; FHL microfilm: 2341354

Year: 1940; Census Place: Clayville, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02701; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 33-43

Supporting Documents