Thanks for digging this out - it's fantastic to be able to see one's ancestors. I thought I may have found him on a page listing members of the West Kent Regiment in WW1 ( http://www.ww1photos.com/WestKentRegt.html ) but on further research that soldier - John Allen - unfortunately died at Flanders.

Is that a garment or a varmint in the lower centre of the photo?

Any other photos of early Granny?

Thanks!
Tom F

I've just found the roll call for West Kents http://www.hut-six.co.uk/GreatWar/WestKent_A.html and there are a slew of Allens - do you know his first names?

Tom

Excellent.

His first names were Edward Stafford. Let me know what you find.

The only Edward is this one:
Allen, Edward. Royal West Kent Regiment 10th Battalion. G/10153. Private.

I did some other poking around the web and found out that my Great Great Great Grandfather's job title was "Slavery Abolitionist"! That was until he was 75 when he became a drug grinder and flay scutcher.
This is assuming that I'm looking at the correct Edward Stafford Allen, born 30 May 1891 in Croydon.

Flay scutcher - A person who beat the flax to soften the straw in the bundles.

I think that's probably a varmint. I believe they had a couple of Scotty dogs.

I don't have much else. A portrait or two. I have more from the Grist side of the family.

Anyway, keep watching this space.

Granny looks exactly the same!!!! Wow. What's her secret!

Great to see.

Alice xx

She hasn't.

Good genes, I guess. Let's hope we've inherited them!

I enjoyed the conversation on this thread about your Allen ancestors. Would you like a run-down of my Allen ancestors, prepared by my great grandmother as part of my great-aunt Myra's application to join the Daughters of the American Revolution?

Yes please.

Is it possible we're related?

You can start here and move forward on my Flickr photostream to view the entire app. It only goes back to Samuel Allen, b. 1701 somewhere in Massachusetts.

We might be related, of course, if we go back far enough, but there were tons of Allens even over here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lblanchard/3043964580/

I spoke with Granny last night and Edward Stafford Allen was in the Leicesters apparently, so private Edward Allen of the West Kents is not our relation. It was Dick Allen who was with the West Kents.
I haven't been able to find out what Edward Stafford Allen did during the war yet.
Granny was very interested to hear all the info. She knew of William Allen the great philanthropist, but didn't know he was related.
I'll have to collate this, and visit Granny to look through some old photos!

WHo is William Allen, how am I related to him? This is fascinating? xx

Who are all these people - Thomas please can you share all this info when yo have finished collating. THis is just so intriguing, although I'm not sure who they are or how they are related!! xx

William Allen was your many times great uncle- a Quaker scientist and philanthropist, prominent in the anti-slavery movement. He's famous enough to have his portrait in the National Portrait Gallery.

Stafford Allen, William's nephew- also a campaigner against slavery, a chemist and industrialist, is your many times great grandfather.

He was with the Leicesters- right- and Leicester is where Alice has wound up- odd how things overlap- as if there's some sort of pattern there...

So he may have been an officer after all.