David Howard Allenby was one of five children born into a London based theatrical family, to actor and theatre manager William and teacher Irene. Three of his brothers went to sea, in the footsteps of Irene's father who had been a captain. However David's hope for a life of pastoral service took him down a different path.

At 19 he joined what I once heard brilliantly described in another SSM member's Times obit as "that rigorous, intensely practical Anglican monastic order, the Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM)", a definition David would have enjoyed. SSM was founded in 1893 by Father Herbert Kelly, who envisaged that "members of the Society share a common life of prayer and fellowship in a variety of educational, pastoral and community activities". David trained at their Theological College at Kelham. He was ordained in 1933. He first served in the Parish of St Jude's West Derby, Liverpool. In 1936 he returned to Kelham to assist with the training of ordinands. As his Times obit notes "he taught New Testament and is particularly remembered for his lectures on the Acts of the Apostles. At this time he became Cottage Master and looked after the boys who came to Kelham after the fashion of the medieval religious houses. Kelham is in the diocese of Southwell and Southwell became Allenby's home diocese. As rector of Kelham with Averham he became chaplain to Bishop F R Barry whose scholarship and episcopate he much admired. He organised his rectory for private retreats and as an increasingly influential figure became proctor in convocation for the diocese, rural dean of Newark for two years and ProProvincial of the English provenance of SSM. At this time he wrote his book "Pray with the Church" a title which accurately reflected his own way of life".

His book "Pray with the Church: Notes on the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for Sundays and Holy-Days according to the book of Common Prayer" was cowritten with A.G. Hebert who were both at SSM at this time, It's a small, practical handbook many clergy have found very useful.

In 1957 he became Provincial of SSM in Australia. His Times obit notes this was a role to which he "brought much needed stability". In 1962, he was called to Kuching, where he was enthroned on the 13th January 1963. From the diocese Kuching Bishop history page: "He was the first Bishop of Kuching, after the Diocese of Borneo had been divided to cater for the East Malaysian States of Sarawak and Sabah (North Borneo). It was a period of political development, not without danger; the first three years of Allenby's episcopate were marked by threat of military aggression from a neighbouring country. He first mooted the possibility of a Province of South Asia in 1963. He was energetic in promoting the setting of a Ministry Fund to make the Church entirely self-supporting.

"Among the achievements of his episcopate were the establishment of the first church at Bunuk, the appointment of the Rev. Michael Lim as the first Sarawakian Dean of St. Thomas Cathedral, and of the Rev. (later Bishop) Basil Temenggong as Archdeacon".

He truly loved his years in Borneo. His Times obit recalls how he was "tireless in his of his clergy, travelling many miles by boat ... his prime concern was for better living conditions for indigenous clergy, he was also a builder and the diocesan centre in Kuching was completed during his episcopate, a true spiritual spiritual powerhouse in the region. He also founded an effective diocesan educational fund".

He also established the "Kuching Diocesan News", "an occasional paper published from the Bishop's House, Kuching, and printed by The Sarawak Press Ltd, Abel Road". He writes in its first edition in 1963 "there has been no Monthly Letter since Bishop Cornwall left, it seems a good a time as any to take on a new look. This publication will not appear monthly, but quarterly and will, it is hoped, be a link between members of the diocesan family as well as of interest to our many friends elsewhere, especially in England and Australia". This little newsletter kept his parish up to date with community comings and goings, new appointments, confirmations, deaths, etc. His" From the Bishop" column was always of interest to read, and indeed he uses his final one to state why he is leaving: "what we need in the Church here, now, is a sense of equal partnership between those who belong here and those who have come from somewhere else to serve ... with full and equal partnership between all who serve here the Church can look unafraid at the past, the present and the future."

After his retirement from Sarawak in 1968, he served as Assistant Bishop to Mervyn Charles Edwards who also appointed him Diocesan Director of ordinands. He became confessor and Spiritual Director of many clergy. He greatly enjoyed his time as Master of St Oswald's Almshouse. As the Times obit notes "many parishioners had reason to be grateful for his disciplined participation in the life of the parish, never looking for any form of special acknowledgement and always setting an example of humility and self-effacement. He welcomed visitors to his house and liked to talk of books and cats — and sometimes of his own travels". As family it was always a joy to spend quality time with him, to talk about his long life with SSM, to walk around Worcester Cathedral with him, to drive into Malvern hills looking for an inspiring view for him to paint, and at home, to watch his delight as he teased Jeremy the kitten.

He retired to Willen Priory, Milton Keynes, which had been set up after the closure of Kelham. Loving art as he did (several of his landscapes adorned the walls of Willen Priory) he was pleased that Jagger's famous Rood had accompanied their move to Willen. He died at nearby Willen Hospice on 10 April 1995. His ashes are buried in St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard.

REFERENCES:
Jeni Allenby - family history research / family letters + correspondence
D N Allenby - family letters + correspondence
D N Allenby - SSM library docs
D N Allenby - "Kuching Diocese News" The Sarawak Press Ltd 1963-8
D N Allenby (quote) - "From the Bishop" Anglican Church of Borneo "Kuching Diocese News" 1968 p1
D N Allenby and A G Herbert "Pray with the Church: Notes on the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for Sundays and Holy-Days according to the book of Common Prayer." 1938 London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

Society of the Sacred Mission:
https://ssm.org.uk/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_the_Sacred_Mission
Alistair Mason "History of the Society of the Sacred Mission" Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 1994
SSM now: Vincent Strudwick "The Dynamics of Change in SSM", SSM European Province Newsletter, May 2019, p 6

Kelham Hall:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelham
Kelham Hall now:
https://www.kelham-hall.com/
Jagger's Kelham Rood is now in the Church of St John the Divine, Kennington, London
Diocese Kuching:
http://www.diocesekuching.org/index.php/history/sample-page/the-history-of-the-diocese-of-kuching/
http://www.diocesekuching.org/index.php/bishops-history/
Bishop Allenby Hall
https://www.st-stephens-church-worcester.org.uk/church-hall/

OBITS:
The Bishop of Worcester "Rgt Rev Nicholas Allenby" THE TIMES 8 3 95
The Bishop of Worcester "Bishop Nicholas Allenby" The Church Times 17 Mar 1995
UK Who's Who:
https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-170811
Quote about the practical nature of SSM - Father Anthony Perry obit
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/father-anthony-perry-twqmrzr0jcs

This memorial was set up by his niece Jeni. I've also now added the SSM members who share Uncle David's plaque to findagrave.