Allan Robert Willett, (24 August 1936 – 18 July 2015) was an English soldier and businessman. He was also

Lord Lieutenant of Kent This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Since 1746, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Kent. Lords Lieutenant of Kent * Sir Thomas Cheney 1551–? *William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham 3 July 1585 – ...

from 2002 to 2011.

Life

Born in India in 1936, his family subsequently returned to Kent where Willett's father was a tea planter and farmer on the

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in an ...

. His mother's family were artists with connections to the military and Kent cricket.Profile of Allan Willett CMG - Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Kent
''The Lieutenancy of Kent'' (2008) Willett was educated at

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...

and was later commissioned during his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the

Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

. He was later seconded to the

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

during the Mau Mau Uprising. Upon leaving the military, he started his own business in 1962, importing machinery for the manufacturer of packaging and plastics. The resulting business, Willett International Limited became a market leader in electronic labeling processes and won two Queen's Awards.Biography of Allan Willett
, number10.gov.uk, 6 December 2001; accessed 13 April 2014. In 2003 Willett International was sold to a competitor. He lived with his wife Anne in

Chilham Chilham is a mostly agricultural village and parish in the English county of Kent with a clustered settlement, Chilham village centre, in the northeast, and a smaller linear settlement, Shottenden. Well-preserved roads and mostly residential list ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He died on 18 July 2015.

Honours and honorary positions

Willett was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the

1997 Birthday Honours The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingd ...

for services to export. On 5 January 2002 he succeeded Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown as

. Willett was appointed Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John in 2003. He is also the former Chairman of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust Fund (of which he remains trustee), and was Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Battalion

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Q ...

(a Territorial Army reserve battalion based at Canterbury) 2005–10, and Ambassador for Kent.Cathedral appeal boss to step down
BBC News (March 2007) He was appointed

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(CVO) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for his service as lord-lieutenant.

Other interests

In January 2004 Willett created a charitable foundation whose principal beneficiaries are persons or organisations living, working or studying in Kent. He was also involved in various public sector roles including the chairman of the Industrial Development Board for London and the South East and the East Kent Enterprise Agency. In 1998 Willett helped the government establish the Regional Development Agency for the South East of England ( South East England Development Agency).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willett, Allan 1936 births 2015 deaths Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of the Order of St John Lord-Lieutenants of Kent People associated with the University of Kent Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) officers King's African Rifles officers British military personnel of the Mau Mau Uprising Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order