Alfred Walter Henry Allen, Baron Allen of Fallowfield,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(7 July 1914 – 14 January 1985) was a British trade unionist and governor of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Early life

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, he was educated at East Bristol School and worked then for the Bristol Co-operative Society until 1940, when he joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1945, Allen left the Force as a sergeant and was chosen as an area organiser of the

National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers The National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1921 when the Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees merged with the National Union of Warehouse and Gen ...

in the year thereafter. Following its merger into the

Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of over 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse wor ...

in 1947, he became a national officer in 1951. Allen was elected the Union's general secretary in 1962, a post he held for seventeen years until 1979. In the 1967 Birthday Honours, he 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE). Allen was a member of the general council of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

and in 1974 was nominated its president. On 10 July of the latter year, he was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

with the title Baron Allen of Fallowfield, of Fallowfield, in

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

. In 1977, Allen served in the

Board of Governors of the BBC The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was r ...

. In 1940, he married Ruby Millicent Hounsell and they had a son and a daughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Alfred 1914 births 1985 deaths BBC governors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Allen of Fallowfield Life peers created by Elizabeth II Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress General secretaries of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers