Allan, Herbert Washington Tinning-
ASC 1910/11
“Bert” and “Slab”
What an extraordinary story the citation below describes:
Description AWM
Studio portrait of the rugby league team known as the 'Mudlarks'. The Mudlarks was made up of members of the 4th Machine Gun Company. They are wearing blue cotton-knit long sleeved rugby jerseys. Below the opening is a black and white painted cotton cut out silhouette of a bird representing the Australian Mudlark or Peewee. The surnames of the members are listed around the edge of the original photograph. An Australian flag hangs on the wall in the background. Identified left to right: back row: 2132 Lance Corporal John Henderson Elder; 3233 Stanley Bathurst Tinning "Sam" Allan; 1853 Lance Sergeant Harold George Augustus Kershaw (later awarded a Military Medal); McDonald; Anderson. Middle row: 2799 Frederick James Creasy; Guildford; Sellers; Chapman; 2695 Private Thorold Toll; 205 Lance Corporal Richard Alfred Overy; 1038 Lance Corporal William Harold Harford. Front row: 233 Private Ernest Roy Crane; Lieutenant Walter James Clasper; Lieutenant Victor George Veness; 4245 Private Oscar Mullaly (captain); 3232 Herbert Washington Tinning "Slab" Allan (younger brother of Sam Allan).
AWM
426 Casualty List
Lt. Herbert Washington Tinning Allan M.M. Bathurst.
SMH 31/8/18 P.14
Bathurstian circa 1919
North Sydney Technical High School
Information on the coaching and military career of Herbert "Slab" Allan (father of Trevor Allan Class of 1945) 1945 1st XV Rugby Union Coach
'SLAB" ALLAN
The NSCJHS/NSTHS transition in July 1942 saw the school change from league to union. 'Slab' (his build and complexion suggesting a slab of teak?) assisted
teacher Tommv Haron in coaching. Although not on staff, Slab was the father of Trevor Allan (1945 school & rugby captain). The 1945 1st XV undefeated
premiership could be largely attributed to the 'spirit of Slab'.
Slab was regarded as a tough but respected coach. At a NSTHS reunion a member of the 1945 1st XV's recounted that deliberately losing a scrum feed was a way of ensuring the opposing inside backs got hammered and that it was effective in putting them off their game! Slab was reputed to use that tactic when he played for an AIF team in World War l.
In 1949 at Chatswood, a father said he could hear Slab's - 'somewhat intemperate' language as he berated the team at half-time. At Parramatta in 1950 a player was 'sent off' by Slab at half-time for lack of commitment. Slab's prediction that NSTHS could win with one short proved correct.
Slab had a dry wit in emphasising mistakes and at a training session when one of the centres called for the ball from an offside position Slab's comment was that the player who didn't pass the ball would pass the Leaving before the caller would. To avoid embarrassment no names will be mentioned.
World War I [National Archives of Australia): on 16 August 1915, soon after his 18th birthday, Herbert Washington Tinning Allan, of Bathurst, enlisted, No 3232. In March 1916 he was in Egypt as a reinforcement for the 13th Battalion and in May transferred to the 4th Machine Gun Battalion in France.
For bravery under heavy shellfire in August 1916 Lance Corporal Allan was decorated with the Military Medal. In 1917 he received the French Medaille Militaire (being one of 38 Australians given this combat award in and WWI and about equivalent to the Distinguished Conduct Medal).
During 1917 Slab rose through the non-commissioned ranks to become a Company Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer II) as was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Promoted to Lieutenant in February 1918 Slab was wounded in the leg in May and returned to France in July after hospitalisation in England. In August he was wounded in the chest, neck and arm and took no further part in the war. He was repatriated to Australia in December 1918 and discharged in May 1919.
Slab died on 25 October 1951.