Brigadier A P Block CB CBE DSO

Commanded 2/7^th Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment from July 1941 to September 1943.

Allen Prichard Block was born on 13^th January 1899 and was educated at Repton School and the RMC Sandhurst. He was commissioned In The Queen's Royal Regiment in April 1918 and served with the 8^th Battalion in France and Belgium. After the 1914-18 War he served with the 2^nd Battalion in India including operations in Waziristan in 1921.

From 1925 to 1927 he was seconded to the Army Signals School at Poona. He returned to UK in 1.927. From 1934 to 1938 he was adjutant of the 24^th London Regiment (re-named in 1937 7^th (Southwark) Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment) and in 1938 joined the 1^st Battalion in India. In 1940 he returned to England and commanded the 50^th Holding Battalion (later named the 15^th Battalion) from May 1940 to July 1941 when he was appointed to command the 2/7^th Battalion. He commanded that Battalion until September 1943 when he was promoted to command 139^th Infantry Brigade of 46^th Division and commanded the Brigade in Italy and Greece. At the end of the 1939-45 War he joined the Allied Military Government in Austria.

In 1947 he was appointed to command 131^st Infantry Brigade (TA). From 1950 to 1953 he was Military Adviser to the UK High Commissioner in Pakistan. He retired from the Army on 5^th May 1953. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches. In 1943 he was awarded the DSO for his fine leadership of the 2/7^th Battalion. In 1944 he was made a CBE and in 1945 a CB.

He died on 22^nd May 1973.

See J M A Tamplin's The Lambeth and Southwark Volunteers page 258.

For obituary see The Queen's Royal Surrey Regimental Association Newsletter No.14 November 1973 page 14.

 

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