Allen earned the nickname "Bunny" from a Gypsy hunting companion in England for his proficiency in snaring rabbits in
Windsor Forest. He was educated at
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School,
Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He arrived in
Kenya in 1927 to join his two brothers. He found work managing a farm for Mervyn Soames where he took guests out shooting. His bush expertise drew respect from the locals and he became a hunting partner of
Denys Finch Hatton. He took part in three Royal Safaris including one where he captured
cheetah by driving alongside them as they ran and jumping on their backs. During World War II he enlisted and was later commissioned in the
King's African Rifles, serving in the
Battle of Madagascar and the 6th
East African Campaign and finishing the war as a Captain. He was the subject of a short film directed by Peter Hort and Mark Macauley in 1996 called A Gypsy in Africa. ==Film work==