Allen was the son of
William Shepherd Allen, an
MP in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. His mother was Elizabeth Penelope Candlish, daughter of
John Candlish. He served in
World War I, being appointed a
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the
1919 King's Birthday Honours, for his bravery during the
battle of Passchendaele. His rule of Samoa was marked by the attempted suppression of the
Mau movement, a nationalist movement. Allen served in the Second World War as a staff captain of the British Army and as a military secretary to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The 2nd Battalion of the Auckland Regiment captured
La Signy Farm (in
Serre, France) under his command. Allen's property in Morrinsville was named
La Signy Farm. On 4 November 1964, Allen had a heart attack while driving near
Maramarua, and both he and his housekeeper, Elma Jessie Brunton, died in the resulting crash. ==References==