Allen Edward “also recorded as Hawkins” Hankins
Private · NZ #7891 · Light Repair Section
| Rank | Private |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #7891 |
| Patrol | Light Repair Section |
| Regiment | 27 (M.G.) Bn. N. |
| Known as | “also recorded as Hawkins” |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C136595 |
What this roll records
Online Cenotaph record found in August 2026, after the search recorded above had failed. It failed because THE MUSEUM SPELLS THE SURNAME HANKINS, not Hawkins. The record stands against the same service number and the same forenames, and the L.R.D.G. Nominal Roll note on this card independently gives “Hankins A.E.” — two sources against this roll’s one. The surname has been left as it stands; the spelling is recorded here so that the record can be found. From the record: a MOTOR MECHANIC in civilian life; he embarked as a Private; and HE WAS TAKEN PRISONER IN CRETE and held at Stalag VIII-B (later 344) at Lamsdorf, Poland, prisoner number 21754 — a captivity this card did not record at all. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C136595.
Original member of the Long Range Patrol (LRP), 1940 — listed with the “LRP” comment in the nominal roll, The Kiwi Scorpions (Brendan O'Carroll).
*** THE SURNAME ON THIS CARD HAS BEEN CORRECTED FROM HAWKINS TO HANKINS. *** Two independent sources spell it Hankins against this roll’s one. The Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph holds him as HANKINS with the same service number and the same forenames; and the L.R.D.G. Nominal Roll of 28 December 1940 – January 1941, already cited on this card, independently records “Hankins A.E.”. THIS ALSO EXPLAINS A FAILED SEARCH. A Cenotaph search made on 27 July 2026 found no record for him and concluded the name or number needed verifying; it failed only because it was run on the wrong spelling. The Hawkins form is kept in the AKA field so that anyone working from the older roll still finds him.
Rank not found online. Where to look: (1) Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph (https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search) - search surname, then match on this service number; the record shows rank as published in the 2NZEF Nominal Roll. (2) Archives NZ WWII personnel file (https://collections.archives.govt.nz) - definitive rank history, request required.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- Missing info added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll.
- LRDG Nominal Roll, 28 Dec 1940 – Jan 1941 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy) — roll records surname as “Hankins A.E.” — rank set to Private per roll (was recorded as Fitter)
This page is part of the Long Range Desert Group roll of members at lrdgarchive.org. If you hold rights to anything on it and would like it credited differently, or taken down, please see Sources and Copyright. It will be dealt with promptly.
Not By Strength But By Guile