by Gordon Lucy (Director of the Ulster Society)

December 1997 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Sir William Allen. Linen manufacturer, Orangeman, Blackman, Unionist politician, soldier and Member of Parliament; his life spanned nine decades. While not of the same prominence in national terms as Edward Saunderson, Edward Carson or James Craig, William Allen was an important figure locally who commanded respect in County Armagh and represented the county at Westminster for thirty years. During the Great War he had served with the 36th (Ulster) Division, ending the war as a battalion commander. As well as being a leading Orangeman, for twenty-three years he was Sovereign Grand Master of the Imperial Grand Black Chapter of the British Commonwealth.

William James Allen was born on 15 October 1866. He was the son of Joseph Allen, one of the founders of Johnston, Allen & Co., linen manufacturers. Educated at Lurgan College, he followed his father into the linen business but launched out on his own in 1906 and built the Windsor factory.

Most businessmen in that era believed that Ulster's continued prosperity and the economic well-being of her people depended on the maintenance of the Union between Great Britain and Ireland. A staunch supporter of the Unionist cause, Allen had thrown himself wholeheartedly into Unionist politics, Orangeism and the Black. He cut his teeth in politics in local government. The extent of his commitment to politics is evidenced by perusal of the Ulster Unionist Council's Yearbook for 1907 and the years which follow. In 1907 he was Secretary of Lurgan Polling District of North Armagh Constitutional Association, one of the two North Armagh delegates to the Ulster Unionist Council from the County Armagh Grand Orange Lodge, a member of the UUC's Watch Committee, and one of the UUC's three Honorary Secretaries. In 1908, in addition to the above, he had become one of the UUC's six representatives on the Unionist Associations of Ireland Joint Committee. By 1910 he was a member of the Standing Committee of the UUC. However, in that year he only attended one meeting out of eleven. In 1911 his attendance significantly improved as he was present at five of the Standing Committee's eleven meetings during the year. As the third Home Rule crisis unfolded, the frequency with which the standing committee met increased. In 1912 the committee met no less than seventeen times and Allen was present on ten occasions. In 1913 Allen was present for seven out of the eleven meetings of the Standing Committee. By 1914 he was no longer a member of the Standing Committee, other commitments, as will become evident, preventing him from being so. Nevertheless, he continued to be one of the UUC's then three Honorary Secretaries.

During these years before the Great War Allen liaised with Southern Unionists, served on delegations to meet leading mainland politicians, such as A J Balfour in March 1907, and undertook speaking engagements, some of which were on the mainland as part of the UUC's efforts to explain the Unionist case to the wider British public. For example, he addressed a meeting in Glasgow on 13 April 1908 and the annual conference of the National Conservative Union at Leeds in November 1911. He was also prominently associated with the formation and training of the Ulster Volunteer Force in County Armagh and in Lurgan in particular. His activism in the campaign against the Third Home Rule Bill almost certainly laid the foundations for his subsequent political career, allied to his war record.

At the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, despite being in his late 40s he responded to Sir Edward Carson's call to rally to the colours. He raised and served with the Pioneer battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 36th (Ulster) Division, in both France and Belgium. In November 1914 he obtained a commission. By 1916 he was a major and by 1918 he commanded the battalion which he had raised. Mentioned in despatches four times, he was awarded the Croix de Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and the DSO (1918). In 1921 during King George V's visit to Ulster to open the first Parliament of Northern Ireland he was knighted, probably in recognition of both military and political service. However, that is to anticipate developments a little.

In 1917 William Moore KC, the MP for North Armagh and, along with Charles Curtis Craig, joint founder of the Unionist Council, was appointed a High Court judge. Allen was prevailed upon to fill the vacancy but he made it a condition of his candidature that he should continue his military service to the conclusion of hostilities before taking his seat. On 22 November 1917 Major W J Allen was returned unopposed as MP for North Armagh.

At the General Election of December 1918 Lt.-Col. W J Allen was opposed by Ernest Blythe, a leading member of Sinn Fein. While Sinn Fein enjoyed sweeping successes outside north-east Ulster, in North Armagh Allen polled nearly 80 per cent of the valid poll and had a resounding majority of 7,379 over the future Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.

With the establishment of Northern Ireland's devolved legislature, Northern Ireland's parliamentary representation at Westminster was reduced to thirteen. County Armagh's representation was reduced from three seats to a single seat for the entire county. At the General Election of November 1922 Allen was returned unopposed to represent the county. On six subsequent occasions Allen placed his name before the electors of County Armagh.

On three occasions -1923, 1931 and 1945 - he was returned unopposed. In 1924, 1929 and 1935 respectively Allen was opposed by Sinn Fein, a Liberal and a Republican. On each occasion he secured an overwhelming and convincing majority. In 1945 he was one of only three MPs in the whole of the United Kingdom to be returned without a contest and the only Conservative and Unionist, the other two being Labour members. He regarded this as a very signal honour.

Douglas Savory, the Unionist MP for the Queen's University seat, provides a vignette of Allen, the parliamentarian:

His judgment was sound. His experience was great and to the end he was assiduous in attending to his parliamentary duties. He could be seen in the library of the House of Commons at 10 a.m. writing letters in his clear, beautiful handwriting. He never employed a secretary. Sir William was always attentive to the debates ... At 10 a.m. he was as fresh as paint, though he had been up all night and was on his feet demanding to know if the bill under consideration applied to Ulster.

Sir William was recognised by his fellow MPs, irrespective of party, as a man "perfectly straight and honest, firm in his convictions and staunch in his beliefs". As such, he was well regarded at Westminster. Of him it was said, "No man enjoyed greater affection and respect and trust in the House of Commons".

Sir William was also held in very high esteem by his constituents. In December 1938 at a meeting held to mark the completion of twenty-one years' service in parliament, he was presented by the Loyalists of the county with a motor car and a cheque, a measure of the great affection in which he was held. Lord Craigavon, Northern Ireland's first Prime Minister, in a debate in April 1934 told the Northern Ireland House of Commons that he was "an Orangeman first and a politician and a member of this House afterwards...". Sir William Allen seems to have viewed his membership of "the Mother of Parliaments" in a similar light. He had a long and active association with the Orange Order and the Black. He was the County Grand Master of Armagh for forty years and Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. In 1924 he succeeded W H H Lyons as Sovereign Grand Master of the Imperial Grand Black Chapter of the British Commonwealth. This position, which he valued above all others, he retained until his death. He travelled widely and extensively on behalf of the Black, believing it to have a special role in preserving the Union. At the beginning of the century he was instrumental in acquiring Brownlow House in Lurgan for the Orange Order. As the largest Orange Hall in the world and the headquarters of the Black, Brownlow House is his most obvious legacy to the loyal orders.

On one occasion a political opponent, responding to Allen's oratory, described him as "Roaring Meg". It was allusion which he greatly relished and regarded as a compliment. It is also indicative of his close identification with the vibrant Loyalist heritage and culture of the people he represented.

Sir William was married twice. His first wife was Maria, daughter of John Ross of Lurgan. Like her husband she was a staunch Loyalist. She founded the first women's Orange Lodge in County Armagh and was Worshipful Mistress of her own private lodge of Armagh. She was also vice-chair of the Ulster Women's Unionist Council. The first Lady Allen died in November 1937. The second Lady Allen was Lillah Irene, daughter of R Hill Forsythe, also of Lurgan. She played a prominent role in the musical life of the town and performed much useful work on behalf of the Unionist cause.

On 5 December 1947 Sir William was knocked down by a lorry as he was getting off a tram on the Lisburn Road in Belfast. He sustained severe chest and head injuries and a fractured leg Although he showed some signs of recovery, he died a fortnight later on 20 December in the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was buried in Lurgan New Cemetery after a service in Shankill Parish Church in the town.

At the time of his death at 81 Sir William was the second oldest member of the House of Commons. Sir Murdoch McDonald, the National Liberal MP for Inverness, beat him by five months for the distinction of being the oldest member. On the occasion of his 80th birthday in October 1946 Sir William had promised "to go on batting for a century". The sporting analogy was appropriate. As a young man he had played cricket for Waringstown. (He had also captained Lurgan at rugby.) Nevertheless, he had a good innings, even if the century eluded him.