Skip to content ↓

View entry

Back to search results

Name: ALLEN, Albert Reginald 'Rex'

image of individual

Nee: son of William Richard Allen, bro of Cecil William and Richard Burton Allen

Birth Date: 25.5.1887 England

Death Date: 30.1.1939 Nakuru

Nationality: English

First Date: 1909

Last Date: 1939

Profession: Took up land and farmed at Naivasha.

Area: Naivasha, Nakuru, Bahati

Married: In Brighton 9 Dec 1914 Daisy Marguerite Griggs b. 1893 Leicester, d. 20 June 1966 Nairobi (later married Francis William Baillie)

Children: William Frank Reginald (7 Jan 1924 Nakuru-killed flying over Italy with RAF in WW2)

Book Reference: Gillett, EAWL, HBEA, KFA, Gethin, Carnelley map, KAD, Red 25, Red 31, Hut, Red 22, Medals, Leader14, Rift Valley, Red Book 1912

War Service: Joined local forces in WW1, attached to a Rhodesian Regt. for S&T, commissioned 1917

General Information:

He went out to Kenya  in 1909 to visit his cousin John Drury, who was managing a farm in the Lake Naivasha area. He was so impressed with what he saw that he gave up his ideas of being a doctor in England and immediately set about purchasing a 5000 acre farm on the Western shore of Lake Naivasha on which he built the first stone house in the district. Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit were entertained to a successful Masai lion hunt on the farm when they visited Kenya in 1909. Early in 1912 Rex sold his farm at Naivasha, which later became part of the Earl of Erroll and Comtesse Perigny estates, and bought Crater Stream farm at Bahati from Jimmy James on the Nakuru/Solai road. After WW1 he sold his farm to A.J. Simpson and went into the construction business from his home and an office in Nakuru. He was involved in building the Kisumu Hotel amongst many of his projects.  Source: Mr John B.R. Allen
Carnelley map shows Allen as owning 3,975 acres at Naivasha which is now Oserian.
Medals - East Africa Unattached List, No. 11648, Second Lieutenant
Rift Valley - Member of the Rift Valley Sports Club - Jan 1929 - Elected - 26 May 1913 - A.R. Allen
Red Book 1912 - A.R. Allen - Naivasha
Gazette - 12/11/1919 - Register of Voters - Rift Valley Area - A.R. Allen - Farmer - Nakuru and Daisy Allen - Married - Nakuru
Nakuru North cemetery - A. Rex Allen, born 25/5/1887, died 30/1/1939
HBEA 1912 shows A.V. Allen at Naivasha?
Gazette 6 Dec 1938 Voters List Rift Valley A.R. and Daisy Allen, Nakuru
KFA - Pioneer in the Solai area.
Gethin diary - 1911 - Naivasha - Sept. 30 - 'Allen & Drury gone into Naivasha.'
City Park cemetery, Nairobi Daisy Allan [sic] d. 20 June 1966 aged 83

Back to search results