Brigadier General Walter Allason, (25 October 1875 – 11 January 1960) was an English

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, diver, and a senior officer of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

who distinguished himself in battle during the

First World War 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 ...

Early life and career

Walter Allason was born in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

in London on 25 October 1875, the son of Elizabeth Thomazine ''née'' Allen (1844–1925) and Alfred Allason (1840–1890), a retired officer of the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

.Burke's Landed Gentry, eighteenth edition, vol. I, ed. Peter Townend, 1965, Burke's Peerage Ltd, p. 9 He was the grandson of the architect

Thomas Allason Thomas Allason (1790–1852) was an English architect, surveying, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington. Early life Allason was born in London, England, in 1790. H ...

. The 1891 Census records Walter Allason as a scholar at Bourne Hill School and reading for the Army Exam. He passed out of the

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Indi ...

at Sandhurst as a

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, following which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th (Reserve) Battalion,

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...

on 23 July 1894, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1896. He was transferred to the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

as a second lieutenant on 9 December 1896 and was promoted back to lieutenant on 1 July 1898. After service in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, Allason was seconded for service in the

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in 1902. He was promoted to major in October 1913 and was appointed second-in-command of the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment when it was posted to France on 16 August 1914, at the start of the

. Allason was wounded in action and in 1915 was awarded his the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO). He was wounded again on Hill 60 in April 1915 and after his recovery he was appointed to command the 8th (Service) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, but rejoined the 1st Battalion for the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

in 1916. He was awarded a

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to his DSO for the Somme, possibly as a result of the battalion's attack on Falfemont Farm in September 1916. The citation for the Bar reads:

Maj. (temp. Lt.-Col.) Walter Allason, D.S.O., Bedf. R. For conspicuous gallantry in action. He executed an attack with the greatest initiative and resource, thereby enabling a strong enemy position to be captured. He handled his battalion with great skill throughout the operations.

Allason was wounded for a third time in December 1916 when, inspecting the trenches at the front line, he was accidentally shot by a young and jumpy subaltern. The wound was serious enough for Allason to be removed from duty, only able to return to the command of the 1st Battalion after the war. In 1918, Allason was promoted to temporary brigadier general in April 1918 and was appointed to command the 52nd Infantry Brigade,

17th (Northern) Division The 17th (Northern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, a Kitchener's Army formation raised during the Great War. Formation history The 17th (Northern) Division was created under Northern Command in September 1914, just a ...

, taking over from Brigadier General

Archibald James Fergusson Eden Brigadier-General Archibald James Fergusson Eden, (20 January 1872 − 8 May 1956) was a career officer in the British Army. He received his commission in 1892 and actively served until 23 March 1924, after which he remained a figure in militar ...

after he was wounded. Allason was promoted to brigadier general and placed on the retired list on 25 October 1925 when he reached 50 years of age, the compulsory

retirement age This article lists the statutory retirement age in different countries. In some contexts, the retirement age is the age at which a person is expected or required to cease work. It is usually the age at which such a person may be entitled to recei ...

for officers.

Personal life

On 18 August 1908, Captain Allason married Katharine Hamilton Poland (1885–1913), the daughter of the retired Vice Admiral James Augustus Poland. In 1911 he, his wife and daughter Dolores Celina Allason (1909–1993) were living at The Glen in Upper Hale in

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

in Surrey. His son, James Allason (1912–2011) was raised primarily by a great-aunt, following the death of his mother in 1913, who was protecting the infant James in a fall down some stairs. James went on to become a British Conservative Party politician, sportsman, and a lieutenant colonel, who worked with The Earl Mountbatten and

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

Diving

In 1896, 1897, 1902, 1908, 1909 and 1922, Allason won the English Plunging (diving) Championship and the

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

Command Officers' Challenge Cup in 1912. In 1924, as a lieutenant colonel, he won a first place medal in the Plunging category in the Inter Unit Team Swimming Competition at Aldershot Command.

After retirement

In 1939, listed as a widower, Allason was living at

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is on the borders with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, east-southeast of Banbury, north-northeast of Oxford, and ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

with his daughter. At that time he was the Area Chief Warden in the

Air Raid Precautions Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s a ...

(ARP), while his daughter was attached to a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

(VAD) in a Mobile Unit. His book ''Military Mapping and Reports'' was published in 1940 by

Duckworth Books Duckworth Books, originally Gerald Duckworth and Company, founded in 1898 by Gerald Duckworth, is a British publisher.1875 births 1960 deaths People from Paddington Sportspeople from the City of Westminster British Army brigadiers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Military personnel from the City of Westminster Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst English male divers British Army generals of World War I Manchester Regiment officers