E. P. S. (Evelyn Prestwood Seymour) Allen

Born in London on December 14, 1885, Evelyn Prestwood Seymour Allen later built his life in Canada. Military records identify him as an actuary, and his First World War service file links him closely with Toronto and Ontario.

Allen is best remembered for The 116th Battalion in France, a firsthand history drawn from the battalion's war diary and his own memories of two years of service. He served as adjutant of the 116th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and his book stands out for its clear, practical storytelling and its closeness to the daily realities of war.

For audiobook listeners, Allen's appeal is straightforward: he writes with the authority of someone who was there, but without fuss or ornament. His surviving published work places him among those soldier-authors whose testimony helps keep the texture of World War I history vivid and human.