In 1944, frustrated by lack of action, Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen managed to arrange an attachment to a Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment in Italy, with which he fought as an Infantry officer – an unusual experience for a Cavalryman!

In 1954 Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen returned to the regiment as Commanding Officer of the 14th/20th King’s Hussars with distinction in Libya and Germany, having already completed a successful tour in command of a training regiment at Catterick.

Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen decided to retire after giving up command in 1956, to become a stockbroker. It seemed a pity in some ways that he did not remain in the Army, because he had many of the attributes of an outstanding senior officer.

During and after his second career, he continued to give devoted service to the Regiment which he loved and which he served unsparingly as our Colonel of the Regiment, for five years from 1972 to 1976 when he handed those duties over to Colonel P. B. Cavendish CB, OBE, DL.

In 1949 the then Major Allen was awarded the Regimental Medal (Number 65) and he was also awarded the Regimental Medal Bar in 1976 (Bar Number: 10).

In 1981 he took on the Chairmanship of the Regimental Association, until he finally handed that over to Colonel Christopher Ross.

Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen was a perfectionist and a stickler for detail. This made him a difficult Commanding Officer, as some may will testify! However, he also taught us all a lesson, which those who have followed him have striven to emulate, with varying degrees of success. Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen both set and demanded the highest standards, which never varied.

Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen was a family man. Some of you knew him as a bachelor, but for most of us the names “Forty and Vonnie” were always bracketed together. They were a team, and perfect foils for one another. They had no children, but their family were their relatives, their friends and their Regiment.

Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen was essentially a kind man. He was not the sort to wear his heart on his sleeve and, to the casual acquaintance, he might seem austere. However, I am sure that we can all remember instances of his warm – heartedness, thoughtfulness, generosity and genuine interest in people.

At every Regimental gathering, Forty and Vonnie would appear in their car with some old friend whom they had driven many miles out of their way to pick up, and who would not otherwise have been able to attend. In some ways, Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen was a man of contradictions: a seemingly aloof and austere man, who underneath was surprisingly emotional and with the warmest of hearts; a stern disciplinarian, yet kind and understanding; in some ways old-fashioned, yet intensely interested in and with a great ability to communicate with the young; a stutterer, yet positive and decisive, in thought, word, and deed.

Sadly, Colonel R. P. D. F. Allen passed away on the 4th January 1988.

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