Sir Stephen Shepherd Allen (2 August 1882 – 4 November 1964) was a New Zealand lawyer, farmer, colonial administrator, local-body politician, and mayor of

Morrinsville Morrinsville () is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. Morrinsville is a service town for the local dairy industry; the area surrounding the town has the highest concentration of dairy cattle in New Zealand. ...

Biography

Allen was the son of William Shepherd Allen, an MP in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. His mother was Elizabeth Penelope Candlish, daughter of John Candlish. He served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, being appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours, for his bravery during the

battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...

. Allen was a barrister and solicitor operating in the town of

. He became mayor of the Borough of Morrinsville in 1927 but resigned one year later following an appointment as administrator of the colony of Western Samoa. His rule of Samoa was marked by the attempted suppression of the

Mau movement The Mau was a nonviolence, non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colony, colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century. ''Mau'' means 'resolute' or 'resolved' in the sense of 'opinion', 'unwavering', 'to be decided', o ...

, a nationalist movement. Allen was appointed a

Knight 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 ...

(KBE) in the 1933 King's Birthday Honours. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

. Allen served in the Second World War as a staff captain of the British Army and as a military secretary to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The 2nd Battalion of the Auckland Regiment captured La Signy Farm (in Serre, France) under his command. Allen's property in Morrinsville was named ''La Signy Farm''. On 4 November 1964, Allen had a heart attack while driving near

Maramarua Maramarua is a locality in the north-eastern part of the Waikato District of New Zealand. State Highway 2 runs through the settlement. Demographics Maramarua settlement is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover . The SA1 areas are part of t ...

, and both he and his housekeeper, Elma Jessie Brunton, died in the resulting crash.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Stephen New Zealand Army officers 20th-century New Zealand farmers New Zealand military personnel of World War I 1882 births 1964 deaths Mayors of places in Waikato Administrators of Western Samoa Trust Territory 1920s in Western Samoa Trust Territory 1930s in Western Samoa Trust Territory New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Reform Party (New Zealand) politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Road incident deaths in New Zealand People from Morrinsville 20th-century New Zealand military personnel 20th-century New Zealand lawyers