Allen Phill Jenkins, war hero from Lower Hutt.

Pilot officer Allen Phill Jenkins of Lower Hutt died a hero in World War Two for sacrificing his life to ensure his pilot navigator could live.  Allen was the pilot officer when his Boston bomber plane was hit in the tail by German flak while on a night attack mission in the Frosinone province of Italy in April 1944.  

He inched the plane upwards to give his British navigator Mick Bradley a good chance of parachuting safely and in doing so gave up his own chance of jumping to safety.  Allen knew his navigator had a family and hoped he could survive.  The two other crew, one a New Zealander and one British, perished instantly when the plane was hit.  Mick Bradley broke his ankle on landing but was rescued and hidden by friendly Italians. 

"Luigi Ceci was in hiding with his family and watched as German soldiers raced to the crash scene and removed the bodies.  Luigi later recovered the bodies and made coffins for them and buried the three airmen,"  according to Claire Paterson, daughter of Matthew Miller Hamilton, the other New Zealander killed.  The men were buried finally in the Cassino War Cemetery.

https://mmhamilton.tripod.com/story.html

Allen Jenkins was the son of Philip Mexted and Myrtle Harriett Jenkins of Knights Road, Lower Hutt.  He attended Eastern Hutt School and Wellington Technical College.  He was a member of the local rifle club and an award-winning budgie breeder. 

"Before my Gran passed away she had said that her mum sent Mick, the one survivor, a Christmas cake and received a letter back. I'm not sure if it was for Christmas 1944 or a few years later though... " - Nicole Swain, great niece of Allen Jenkins.

The Jenkins family have kept treasured photos and newspaper clippings about Allen and visited his grave in the Cassino War Cemetery.

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C27193