Frank Maurice Allen known as "Bunny Allen" (17 April 1906, in Upton Cum Chalvey,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England – 14 January 2002, in

Lamu Island Lamu Island is a port, city, and island just off the shore of Kenya in the Indian Ocean approximately 150 miles from Mombasa. It is a part of the East African country of Kenya. Lamu was founded in the 12th century. Lamu is one of the longest-est ...

) was a renowned

white hunter White hunter is a literary term used for professional big game hunters of European descent, from all over the world, who plied their trade in Africa, especially during the first half of the 20th century. The activity continues in the dozen Afri ...

and

safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...

guide in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Biography

Allen earned the nickname "Bunny" from a Gypsy hunting companion in England for his proficiency in snaring rabbits in

Windsor Forest Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

. He was educated at

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Sir William Borlase's Grammar School (commonly shortened to Borlase or SWBGS) is a selective state grammar school accepting girls and boys aged 11–18 located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated on West Street, close to the town ...

Marlow, Buckinghamshire Marlow ( ), historically Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow, is a town and civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the River Thames, south-southwest of High Wycombe, west-northwest of Maidenhead and ...

. He arrived in

in 1927 to join his two brothers. He found work managing a farm for Mervyn Soames where he took guests out shooting. His bush expertise drew respect from the locals and he became a hunting partner of

Denys Finch Hatton Denys George Finch-Hatton MC (24 April 1887 – 14 May 1931) was a British aristocratic big-game hunter and the lover of Baroness Karen von Blixen (also known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen), a Danish noblewoman who wrote about him in her aut ...

. He took part in three Royal Safaris including one where he captured

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

by driving alongside them as they ran and jumping on their backs. During World War II he enlisted and was later commissioned in the

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces regiment raised from Britain's East African colonies in 1902. It primarily carried out internal security duties within these colonies along with military service elsewher ...

, serving in the

Battle of Madagascar The Battle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was an Allied campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial ...

and the 6th East African Campaign and finishing the war as a Captain. He was the subject of a short film directed by Peter Hort and Mark Macauley in 1996 called A Gypsy in Africa.

Film work

Allen returned to hunting in 1946 and through his famous clients on safaris was discovered by Hollywood where he acted as a

technical adviser In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the film director, director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart was a n ...

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' is an 1885 popular fiction, popular novel by the English Victorian literature, Victorian adventure writer and fable, fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. Published by Cassell and Company, it tells of an expedition through an ...

'' as well as '' The African Queen'', ''

Where No Vultures Fly ''Where No Vultures Fly'' is a 1951 British adventure film directed by Harry Watt and starring Anthony Steel and Dinah Sheridan. It was released under the title ''Ivory Hunter'' in the United States. The film was inspired by the work of the co ...

'' and ''

Nor the Moon by Night ''Nor the Moon by Night'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Belinda Lee, Michael Craig and Patrick McGoohan. It was written by Guy Elmes based on the 1957 novel of the same ttitle by Joy Packer and partly fil ...

''. He gained fame by working on

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's ''

Mogambo ''Mogambo'' is a 1953 Technicolor adventure/ romantic drama film directed by John Ford and starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly, and featuring Donald Sinden. Shot on location in colonial British East Africa, Tanganyika, Uganda P ...

'' and acted as

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

's double during action scenes. See also ''

White Hunter Black Heart ''White Hunter Black Heart'' is a 1990 American adventure drama film produced, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. It is based on the 1953 book of the same name written by Peter Viertel, who cowrote the screenplay with James Bridges and B ...

''.

Books

* Allen, Bunny & Claassens, Harry ''The Wheel Of Life: A Life Of Safaris And Romance'' Safari Press, 2005 He also wrote First Wheel and Second Wheel, both published by Amwell Press in New Jersey. They were signed, numbered slipcased limited editions of 1,000 copies each.

Notes

External links

*Last of the Great White Hunters https://web.archive.org/web/20110629113345/http://www.salon.com/wlust/feature/1998/03/19feature.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Bunny 1906 births 2002 deaths Military personnel from Buckinghamshire English hunters People from Buckinghamshire (before 1974) British Army personnel of World War II King's African Rifles officers British expatriates in Kenya