He joined the paper straight from school as a 'tube boy', a messenger who delivered editorial copy via a vacuum tube system.
He graduated to reporting, with film reviewing as a sideline, then became drama critic in succession to Ronald Mavor and deputy news editor.
He continued in much the same way under Dunnett's successor, Eric Mackay, but he found some of the demands of later editors harder to comply with.
The then deputy editor of the Scotsman, Arnold Kemp, considered Allen's organisation of the paper's Fringe coverage his greatest single achievement.
[4] John Fowler of rival newspaper The Herald referred to him as 'a man of grace and sterling worth'.