Besides the Matthew Hervey series, he is the author of Light Dragoons, a history of four regiments of British Cavalry, one of which he commanded, a defence commentator for The Times, and latterly for the Daily Telegraph, and a regular reviewer for The Times, The Spectator, The Literary Review and Country Life.
His Matthew Hervey novels are all available in Bantam paperback and his latest novel, On His Majesty's Service, is now available in hardback.
Allan lives in Wiltshire.
Read interviews with Allan here
Read Allan's Defence Blog on the "RightMinds" page of Mail Online here
Allan Mallinson's 2012 Events Diary
Details to come soon.
Although only formed in December 1992, The Light Dragoons look back to a history that began in the days of the first Jacobite rebellion. The 1922 reduction in the Army saw the amalgamation of four regiments of Hussars into the 13th/18th Hussars and the 15th/19th Hussars. Now they too have been amalgamated.
This book follows with clarity and dexterity the fortunes of The Light Dragoons' predecessors and describes the activities of the new regiment up to the minute. It reflects much of the last two hundred and seventy years of British history. No campaign of significance has been fought in that time without the participation of one or more of the Regiments. They gained fresh honours in both World Wars and, since 1945, have been fully involved in Britain's withdrawal from Empire, the confrontation of the Cold War and UN’s peacekeeping.
A new Postscript gives the reader a classic account of what wars in Bosnia and Iraq have involved for the Regiment and the men who serve in it.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Light Dragoons, email HHQLD-RegtlSec@mod.uk for details.
Allan Mallinson commends you to look at the website for the Light Dragoons' appeal fund. The regiment was in the thick of the action in Afghanistan in 2009 during Operation Panther's Claw, and sustained many casualties.
You can read about the background to Panther's Claw in Allan's article in the Daily Telegraph at the time of the operation.
How life may look for the Army after the cuts
-The Times (17th December - within the Times paywall)
The Wartime Journals by Hugh Trevor-Roper
-The Times (14th November- within the Times paywall)
Army chaplains ‘need to show their steel under pressure’
-The Times (1st October- within the Times paywall)
Cutting the Army is a 'perilous undertaking'
- The Times (23rd July, page 81 - within the Times paywall)
The MoD reforms
- The Times
Strategic Defence and Security Review
- The Times
The Spectator defence debate
- The Spectator
The Other Prince of Darkness by Jonathan Powell - book review
- The Spectator
The MoD cannot run a war – or a budget
- The Times
War has changed. We need men on the ground, not aircraft carriers
- The Times
Defence is at a crossroads - with no signpost
- The Times
Would a soldier serving on the Chilcot committee be ruthless enough?
- The Times
We are now fighting in Afghanistan without enough helicopters and without enough men - The Telegraph
Our hard-pressed Army must have more manpower to win the war against new enemies - Yorkshire Post
“A question of trust at the heart of the Ministry of Defence'” - The Telegraph
The Army is too small to fight all of the battles facing Britain - The Telegraph
“A question of trust at the heart of the Ministry of Defence'” - The Telegraph
“Gordon Brown must stop shying away from the word 'war'” - The Telegraph
“Helmand: The more troops you use, the less you lose” - The Telegraph
Gordon Brown must put 'boots on the ground' in Afghanistan” - The Telegraph
“War has changed. We need men on the ground, not aircraft carriers” - The Times
“The Gamble: General Petraeus and the Untold Story of the American Surge in Iraq, 2006-2008 by Thomas E.Ricks” - The Times (book review)
“Afghanistan: it will be tougher than we think” - The Times
“Our armies are marching out of step” - The Times
“We must rebuild a military base in the US” - The Times
“Should Sir Richard Dannatt be made Chief of Defence Staff?” - BBC Audio Discussion
“Sir Richard Dannatt has done Gordon Brown a great service” - The Telegraph
“To win Iraq war, we must fight properly” - The Telegraph
“Does Britain want an independent RAF?” - The Telegraph
“Prince Harry can look every soldier in the eye” - The Telegraph
“How Britain can respect our Servicemen” - The Telegraph
“Basra has seared the British Army's soul” - The Telegraph
“Gordon Brown's hollow seasonal greetings” - The Telegraph
“PM's foreign evasion is highly dangerous” - The Telegraph
“This silence on the Army speaks volumes” - The Telegraph
“Patience is the key to General Petraeus's surge” - The Telegraph
“Allied rivalry isn't new, but we need each other ” - The Telegraph
“How much longer can the army fight?” - The Telegraph
“We must fight a battle we can win” - The Telegraph
“Harsh questions for defence ministers” - The Telegraph
“Tories should spend serious money on defence” - The Telegraph
“Cash for sailors just another symptom of rot in the MOD” - The Telegraph
“What the Army must learn from Iraq” - The Telegraph
“A disturbing case for over-stretched Army” - The Telegraph
“Ministers cannot gag the generals” - The Telegraph
“The army needs 10,000 more men” - The Telegraph
The Light Dragoons Colonel's Appeal »