By 1908, the parents of Marian Allen with their family of six children (three boys and three girls) were living in Woodstock Road, Oxford, England.
In August 1914, on the outbreak of World War I, Arthur Greg and Dundas (as Marian Allen's brother was known) abandoned their studies and joined the army.
Arthur fought in the battles around the Hill 60 in Belgium and in May 1915 was badly wounded when part of his lower jaw was shot away.
[9] Marian Allen heard the news on either 30 April or 1 May, and some of her finest poems, many of them sonnets, were written almost immediately afterward.
In the 1920s, and 1930s, Marian Allen became a successful author/illustrator of children's books such as The Wind in the Chimney, Joy Street volumes etc., writing mainly for Blackwell.