Michael Allen died on 27 December 2003 aged 80, as the result of an accident.
He was born and brought up in Poland. Like many Poles of his time, he managed to escape from his country during the German occupation in World War Two. He then served with the Polish Army in the Italian Campaign.
On the disbandment of the free Polish Army, he enlisted in the British Army and was posted to the 3rd Hussars in 1947.
He quickly gained promotion to sergeant in 1952 and remained a tank troop sergeant until amalgamation with the 7th Hussars in 1958.
He continued to serve as a troop sergeant until 1963 when he commenced a tour of duty with the Queen’s Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry as a permanent staff instructor.
On return to the Regiment, he was promoted to staff sergeant taking command of a troop.
Subsequently, he was appointed SQMS of ‘A’ Squadron, continuing in that appointment until his release in 1969.
He was also a Regimental gunnery instructor for a number of years. His service included tours in BAOR, Northern Ireland, Aden and Singapore.
When asked why he changed his Polish name to Allen, he explained that it put him at the head of the pay parade queue when soldiers were paid in cash.
Many will remember his immaculate white gloves which he always wore when driving his car and for that hurry-up message of ‘chop chop’ whenever he wanted soldiers to move quickly.
He was a great enthusiast, always immaculate in his turnout and a Regimental character.
