He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of William Hollingsworth and his second wife, Amelia Airey.
Following the development of problems within the group of colonists, William and family left New Australia for Argentina, where he found work on the railways.
They left a family of six children aged 15 and under (the daughters of William's first marriage were all adults by then).
The Aireys belonged to the Methodist Church, and Allen and his sisters attended Sunday School.
When he reached 14 years, Allen was apprenticed as a French polisher, a trade he followed all his working life.
In 1928, he stood for election as an alderman on the Launceston City Council, advertising his role as "the only returned soldier candidate".
He was also involved with the Invermay Progress Association, especially in its campaigning for the establishment of a recreation reserve on the Mowbray Swamp.