Oliver Claude Allison (28 May 1908 – 7 June 1989) was a

Christian missionary A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

and the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

for over 20 years in the second part of the 20th century.

Life

Educated at

Dean Close School Dean Close School is a public school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, he was ordained in 1933 and began his ecclesiastical career with a

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Boscombe Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, England. Historically in Hampshire, but today in Dorset, it is located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne. Originally a sparsely inhabited area of heathland, from around 1865 B ...

. 1932-36 Curate at Christ Church Fulwood (Sheffield) Also Scout Master of the 142nd Sheffield (Fulwood) Scout Troop for same dates. 1936-38 Youth Secretary to Winchester Diocese 1938 Accepted by Church Missionary Society (CMS) and left for Anglo Egyptian Sudan. He began what was to be along association with the

by becoming a

Missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a populatio ...

followed by a stint as

Assistant Bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

. Elevated to the

Episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

1947 Became Mission Secretary for Sudan. 1948 Consecrated Bishop, to be the assistant Bishop to Rt Rev Morris Gelsthorpe who was the first Bishop of the new diocese of Sudan, no longer linked with Egypt, but still under the Archbishopric of Jerusalem. 1953 Became Diocesan Bishop on Gelsthorpe's retirement. His pastoral duties extended to oversight of Churches in Yemen, Aden, Eritrea, Ethiopia & Samaliland. 1955 Consecration of first Sudanese Assistant Bishop. 1956-1972 Unrest in Sudan. 1972 Peace talks culminated in the Addis Ababa Agreement in which the South was promised autonomy from the North. A few missionaries were allowed to return. 1974 Retired. When back in England he did a lot of work to help through the Sudan Church Association. Returning to England he often preached about his eventful life at parishes who wanted to know more about the region Allison died on 7 June 1989, at the age of 81.

Notes

1908 births 1989 deaths People educated at Dean Close School Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Anglican bishops in Sudan Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{Africa-Anglican-bishop-stub