John Manchester Allen

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	(1901-08-03)3 August 1901 Cheadle, Staffordshire, England
Died	28 November 1941(1941-11-28) (aged 40) Libya
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 Battle of Greece Battle of Crete North African campaign Operation Crusader †
Awards	mentioned in despatches

Biography

New Zealand Parliament

Years	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

1. Gustafson 1986, p. 297.
2. Wilson 1985, p. 179.
3. Dawson 1961, p. 3.
4. "Lieutenant Colonel John Manchester Allen | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
5. Cody 1953, p. 83.
6. Wilson 1985, p. 237.

References

• 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.

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Charles Robert Petrie	Member of Parliament for Hauraki 1938–1941	Succeeded by Andy Sutherland