G6LN 1927 England

Operator: Edwin Philip Allen

Edwin Philip Allen, known as Philip, Phil or Pip, was born on 7th April 1910 in Leicester; the eldest of two sons to Albert Ernest Allen and Dora Stanley Banwell.
Philip attended Grovener School Nottingham. He was very good at art and later in life would become an accomplished watercolour artist.

In 1918 at the end of WW1 when Philip was 8, his father started his own company ‘A. E. Allen’ making hosiery.
The company went on to be named ‘Aristoc’, a brand which still survives today. Philip worked for Aristoc as advertising director.

In 1935 he married Muriel Platford (known as Plat).
She was the daughter of George Eric Platford who had a noteworthy career at Rolls Royce; from helping build Royce’s first car as his apprentice to preparing the engines for the first transatlantic flight. 

Plat and Phil had a passion for sailing and sailed thousands of miles together including crossing the Atlantic.
Philip in fact wrote a book Called ‘The Atlantic Crossing Guide’ which advised sailors wanting to make the trip.

Another passion was amateur radio. A mention of Philip appeared in the ‘T & R Bulletin, The journal of The Inc. Radio Society of Great Britain and The British Empire Radio Union’ Sept 1930...
“With the coming of sun-down our tracks were turned towards Ratcliffe-on-Trent, wherein we hoped to locate Phil Allen, of G6LN. To be sure he was in, but in bed. Against our wishes, however, he insisted on attending to his nocturnal visitors, and in spite of the cooling breezes from the river, elected (after welcome refreshments !) to lead the way through his father’s magnificent garden to the -home of G6LN, a specially made shack some 200 yards from the house. Mr. Allen has been inactive for some months, but an early return to life is predicted judging by the alterations going on in and around the shack. No prize is to be awarded to the person describing Phil’s “ get up “ when he got up ! “

Philip died in 1990 at his home in Finningham, Suffolk, leaving a son and two grandsons.

Thank you so much for your reply and your extremely kind offer to send me my grandfather’s card which I accept with much gratitude.
(The QSL was sent to Jonathan May 2020)

QSL from the estate of G6YL
K8CX Collection
Photo Info courtesy of Jonathan Allen, grandson of G6LN