Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Arthur Samuel "Tubby" Allen, (10 March 1894 – 25 January 1959) was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

officer and accountant. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he reached the rank of major general and commanded Allied forces in the Syria–Lebanon and New Guinea campaigns. Allen was frequently referred to during the Second World War by the nickname "Tubby"; an indication of his stocky build and the affection with which he was regarded by both soldiers and the Australian public.

Early life

Allen was born in

Hurstville Hurstville is a suburb in Southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south of the Sydney CBD and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Georges Riv ...

, in Sydney. He attended Hurstville Superior Public School before gaining work as an audit clerk with the

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

. Allen also joined the cadets and then the 39th Battalion of the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

First World War

Allen was commissioned in 1913 and joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 24 June 1915. Allen embarked for Egypt with reinforcements for the 13th Battalion in August. In March 1916 he was promoted to captain and assigned to the 45th Battalion. He arrived in France on 8 June 1916 and fought at the Battle of Pozières in August. Allen remained in the front line on the Somme into 1917 and led his men through the Battle of Messines in June. His leadership amidst heavy losses earned Allen the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

and a promotion to major in July. He continued to lead men in combat, at the Battle of Dernancourt in April 1918, and then as an acting lieutenant colonel, in charge of the 48th Battalion, at Battle of Monument Wood. In June 1918, Allen went to England to attend the

Senior Officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

s' Course at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

. Less than two weeks after the war ended – at the age of 24 – he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of the 13th Battalion. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his service on the Western Front. His appointment with the AIF ended on 10 November 1919.

Between the wars

Allen became an accountant after the war and in December 1921 married Agnes Blair. Allen returned to accounting, but remained active in the Militia. In 1933 he became a full

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, in charge of the 14th Brigade. Five years later, in 1938, he became a

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Second World War

In October 1939, Allen was given command of the 16th Brigade in the 6th Division as part of the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...

. Later in 1940, Allen was in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, where his brigade fought at Bardia and Tobruk. In March, Allen and the brigade left North Africa for the ill-fated

Greek campaign The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

, following which he was awarded the Greek War Cross. For his services in North Africa, Allen was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in April 1941, and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in July the same year. Allen was then given command of the 7th Division, and commanded it in the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, against

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

forces. Allen was officially promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in August 1941. Following the outbreak of war with Japan, Allen returned to Australia in March 1942, and in August took charge of operations against the Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track. Although he was successful, Allen nevertheless came under what many consider unfair criticism from the Allied commander in the South West Pacific Area, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur and the Allied land forces commander, the Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey, for moving too slowly in pursuit of the Japanese across the Owen Stanley Ranges. He was relieved of his command on 29 October 1942. Lesser appointments followed, but in October 1944, Blamey recommended Allen be made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, although Allen was never appointed.

Later life

After the war Allen became a senior partner in a Sydney accountancy firm. He died on 25 January 1959 and was given a military funeral before being cremated. He was survived by his wife and two sons. The art critic Christopher Allen and the writer, performer and filmmaker Richard James Allen are his grandsons.Christopher Allen profile
AustLit

References

External links

AS Allen
Bio at www.generals.dk
Major General Arthur Samuel 'Tubby' Allen, CB, CBE, DSO, VD
Biography at www.awm.gov.au
Official Portraitbeing painted
by

William Dargie Captain Sir William Alexander Dargie (4 June 1912 – 26 July 2003) was a renowned Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on eight separa ...

Photo
March 1942 *A. J. Sweeting

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, Melbourne University Press, 1993, pp 32–33. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Arthur Samuel 1894 births 1959 deaths Australian accountants Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Companions of the Order of the Bath Australian generals Military personnel from New South Wales Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II People from Sydney Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the War Cross (Greece)