Remembering Leading Seaman Allister Charles Austin
By John Dekhane
The Second World War tore across countries and continents, drawing millions into a conflict that would reshape the world and redefine courage. In its path, it swept up ordinary men from quiet towns and coastal villages, calling them to serve in the fight against tyranny and rescue a world in peril. All across Newfoundland, many answered that call, leaving behind families, sweethearts, and dreams unfulfilled. Among the brave souls who left St. John’s but never returned was Leading Seaman Allister Charles Austin.
Born on 21 June 1920, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Allister was the beloved son of Thomas and Gertrude Austin. He grew up in a household filled with laughter, love, and strong values, surrounded by his five siblings: Edith, Bruce, Jean, Maxwell, and Harold. From an early age, Allister was deeply shaped by the close bonds of family and community. He attended Parade Street School and later worked as a clerk in a local retail store.
He later found the love of his life and married Lillian, with whom he eagerly dreamed of building a future filled with hope and happiness. But the growing storm of war was already spreading, and the forces of oppression were moving swiftly across the world, making peace impossible to hold.
Drawn by an unshakable sense of duty, deep-rooted values, and love for his country, Allister answered the call in early 1940. He volunteered to join the Royal Navy, alongside countless fellow Newfoundlanders, fathers, sons, and brothers who stepped forward when it mattered most.
Allister was assigned to the No. 3 Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Unit (LCOCU), a specialized and perilous role that placed him among the very first to land on enemy shores. These units were tasked with one of the most dangerous missions of the war: to clear the beaches of explosives and steel obstacles set by German forces, making the way safe for the main waves of Allied troops and landing craft. Their work was critical to the success of amphibious invasions, none more important than Operation Overlord, the codename for the massive Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on 6 June 1944, now remembered as D-Day.
On that historic morning, Leading Seaman Allister Austin landed on King Sector, Gold Beach, in Normandy, as part of the first wave of troops. Wearing diving gear and carrying explosive charges, he and his fellow clearance divers moved ahead of the main force, risking everything to destroy underwater mines and brutal steel obstacles designed to shred landing craft and stall the invasion. It was a gruelling, exposed, and deadly mission. In the chaos of gunfire, crashing waves, and relentless enemy fire, Allister was killed. He was just 23 years old, with so much life ahead, and so much to give.
Back home, the news of Allister’s death left his family devastated and heartbroken. Those who had raised him, grown up alongside him, and dreamed of a future with him were forced to carry the heavy grief of his absence for the rest of their lives. While the world marked 6 June 1944 as a turning point – a day of triumph and liberation – for those who loved Allister, it became a day frozen in time. A heartbreaking reminder of what an unforgiving war had stolen. Far from the familiar streets of St. John’s, Allister Charles Austin now rests at the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy. Nestled in the peaceful countryside, his grave is surrounded by endless rows of white head- stones – each marking a grave, a voice, a life – that deserves to be for- ever remembered. Thousands of miles away from home, Allister lies in the land he helped liberate, and his memory is forever etched in the hearts of those who cherish the freedom he secured.
Today, it is our solemn duty to remember Leading Seaman Allister Charles Austin and to live in a way that reflects the courage, sacrifice, and values he embodied. France will never forget him, nor the countless young men from Newfoundland who gave everything to liberate towns they had never seen and people they had never met. Their bravery was a gift to future generations, and their memory continues to inspire us to stand for what is right, no matter the cost.
