John Manchester Allen (3 August 1901 – 28 November 1941) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He also served in the Second World War and commanded the 21st Battalion from May 1941 until he was killed in action in Libya.
John Manchester Allen | |
---|---|
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Hauraki | |
In office 15 October 1938 – 28 November 1941 † | |
Preceded by | Charles Robert Petrie |
Succeeded by | Andy Sutherland |
Personal details | |
Born | Cheadle, Staffordshire, England | 3 August 1901
Died | 28 November 1941 Libya | (aged 40)
Cause of death | Killed in action |
Relatives | Stephen Allen (uncle) William Allen (uncle) William Shepherd Allen (grandfather) John Candlish (great-grandfather) |
Military service | |
Branch/service | New Zealand Military Forces |
Years of service | 1939–41 † |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Commands | 21st Battalion |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | mentioned in despatches |
Biography
editYears | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1938–1941 | 26th | Hauraki | National |
Allen was born in Cheadle, Staffordshire, England, in 1901. His father, John Candlish Allen, died in France in 1917 from wounds received in the First World War. His uncles were Stephen Allen and William Allen, and his grandfather was William Shepherd Allen. He was educated at King's College, Auckland, and at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he graduated with MA and LLB degrees. He was a farmer in Morrinsville, and an Anglican lay reader.[1]
He represented the Hauraki electorate from 1938 to 1941, when he died.[2] Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he volunteered to serve with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was posted to 18th Battalion as its second-in-command.[3] He was in Crete[4] as commander of the 21st Battalion[5] before being killed in action during an offensive in Libya.[1] He was succeeded in the Hauraki electorate by Andy Sutherland, who won the resulting 1942 by-election.[6]
Notes
edit- ^ a b Gustafson 1986, p. 297.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 179.
- ^ Dawson 1961, p. 3.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel John Manchester Allen | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ Cody 1953, p. 83.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 237.
References
edit- Cody, Joseph (1953). 21 Battalion. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. Wellington, New Zealand: Historical Publications Branch. OCLC 11136356.
- Dawson, W. D. (1961). 18 Battalion and Armoured Regiment. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. Wellington, New Zealand: War History Branch. OCLC 11568803.
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.