Lawrence Allen was born in Ulverstone Tasmania on 5 March 1920, one of five children to Newman Allen and Alice Singleton. 

Lawrence’s father died in 1922, and his brother Maurice drowned during a flood in 1925.

A storeman, he enlisted in Paddington New South Wales on 1 July 1940. He was living with his mother at 231 Ramsay Street Haberfield. 

He was marched into the 6th Battalion at Haberfield on 7 July. He served in various units until 18 February 1941 when he embarked for Singapore. He was taken on strength with the 2/20 Infantry Battalion on 1 March.  

On 21 June he was found to be A.W.L from 1000 hours on 14 June until 0600 hours on 16 June. He was fined £1/10 and confined to barracks for one day. 

He returned to his unit on 5 November following three days leave. 

Lawrence was listed a missing on 26 March 1942 and confirmed as a prisoner of war on 27 September 1943. At the time he may have been held in the Gloe Gloer POW camp on Sumatra.

The prisoners were transported on the SS Van Waerwijck (renamed as Harugiku Maru) on 24 June 1944. The planned destination was Pekanbaru where the men would be labourers on the Pekanbaru railway. 

The ship was part of a convoy and was torpedoed by the submarine HMS Truculent on 26 June 1944. The ship sank in the Malacca Strait near Tanjungbalai Sumatra. 

Lawrence was one of between 154 and 198 POWs who drowned as a result. Survivors were rescued by other ships in the convoy and taken returned to various POW camps.

He is remembered at the Singapore Memorial in Kranji Cemetery.

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=4641239&S=1&N=4&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=4641239&T=P&S=3
https://2nd4thmgb.com.au/camp/gloe-gloer-camp-sumatra/

Singapore Memorial - Kranji Cemetery
24,000 Commonwealth Forces
28 Australians died this day