Sergeant Lawrence Erwin Allen died of influenza on October 20, 1918, near Bordeaux, France, while attending an Officers’ Training Field Artillery School. A member of the Quartermaster Corps, Lawrence was buried at Suresnes American Cemetery in France. (bit.ly/uw_allen)
Lawrence attended the University of Washington for two years studying mechanical engineering. While at the UW he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and captain of the freshman crew under legendary coach Conibear. At the time he registered for the draft he was working for the Jewell Tea Company and living in Pendleton, Oregon.
A native of Waitsburg, Lawrence was one of four children born to Herbert Wilmot Allen, a physician, and his wife, Lena Erwin. He was married to fellow UW student Lulu Jane Wright on July 18, 1916, in Missoula, Montana. A brass vase is dedicated to his memory at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit where Lawrence and Lulu were married. Lulu died just six years later at the age of 29.