Alfred Walter Henry Allen, Baron Allen of Fallowfield CBE (7 July 1914 – 14 January 1985)^[1] was a British unionist and governor of the BBC.

Born in Bristol, 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.^[2] After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Allen left the Force as a sergeant and was chosen an area organiser of the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers in the year thereafter.^[2] Following its merger into the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers in 1947, he became a national officer in 1951.^[2] Allen was elected the Union's general secretary in 1962, a post he held for seventeen years until 1979.^[3] In the Birthday's Honours 1967, he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.^[4]

Allen was a member of the general council of the Trades Union Congress and in 1974 was nominated its president.^[5] On 10 July of the latter year, he was created a life peer with the title Baron Allen of Fallowfield, of Fallowfield, in Greater Manchester.^[6] In 1977, Allen served in the Board of Governors of the BBC.^[7]

In 1940, he married Ruby Millicent Hounsell and had by her a son and a daughter.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Alfred Allen, Baron Allen of Fallowfield

Government offices
Preceded by Alan Birch	General Secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers 1962 – 1979	Succeeded by Bill Whatley
Preceded by Joseph Crawford	President of the Trades Union Congress 1974	Succeeded by Constance Marie Patterson