General John S. Allard was born in Boston, Mass., in January 1897 and received his education in Medford, Mass. He joined the Air Service on Nov. 24, 1917, when he was appointed a flying cadet. He received his ground school training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and later at Princeton University, completing same on Feb. 2, 1918. After nearly six weeks of temporary duty at Camp Dick, Texas, he was transferred Ellington Field, Texas, for his flying training, which he completed on May 25, 1918, when he was rated as a reserve military aviator and commissioned a second lieutenant.
Returning to Camp Dick, he served there until July 12, 1918, and then took a month of acrobatic flying training at the Pursuit Flying School at Crestner Field, La. He was then transferred to Rockwell Field, Calif., for aerial gunnery training, which he completed on Sept. 18, 1918. Thereafter until his honorable discharge from the service on Jan. 4, 1919, he remained at Rockwell Field as an instructor.
He was Vice President of Curtis-Wright Corp. from 1929 to 1942 and was then recalled to active duty as a colonel in July 1942 as assistant chief of staff of 12th Air Force. From March to July 1943 he was deputy chief of staff of North African Strategic Air Force. He was with 7th Bomber Command from July 1943 to March 1944, and then deputy chief of staff, later, chief of staff of 8th Air Force from March 1944 to May 1945.
He was promoted to brigadier general in September 1944. His decorations include the Legion of Merit.
(Biography compiled from information in the Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers by R. Manning Ancell with Christine M. Miller, and USAF Historical Study No. 91: Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers 1917 to 1952.)