Universities at War

Frederick William Collins was born on 10 September 1884 at Yatala in Australia, the elder son of Frederick Collins and his wife Catherine (née Kelly), of Delamere, Rapid Bay. Until he was 25 years old he worked on his father's farm at Delamere, and for a time in New South Wales. At the end of 1909 he took up land in south east Australia, but then relinquished it to prepare himself for Holy Orders in the Church of England. He spent 1910 to 1912 studying for and passing the senior public examination at Kapunda, where the parishioners of Christ Church remembered with gratitude his unselfish labours as lay reader and superintendent of the Sunday school. So successful had he been at Kapunda that he was advised, with the consent of the bishop of Adelaide, to go for training for Holy Orders to St Augustine's College in Canterbury. This he did at the beginning of 1912; he finished his studies at the end of 1914. The warden of the college. Bishop Knight, urged Collins to proceed to Durham to obtain his degree. “Collins !” the Warden was reported to have said. “He is one of the manliest men I have had here. He is a credit to Australia. Send us as many Australians of this type as you can.” He matriculated as an Unattached student in St Cuthbert’s Society in the Easter term of 1914, but would probably have remained at Canterbury, coming to Durham only to take and pass his first year exams for the Licentiate of Theology in Durham in the same term. However, he left before finishing his L.Th. and was commissioned second lieutenant in the 8th Reserve Cavalry Regiment, the reserve for the 16th and 17th Lancers, Collins’ appointment eased perhaps by his having served as Quartermaster Sergeant for many years in the Yankalilla Troop of the Australian Light Horse. He was sent to the Curragh camp, near Dublin, to train recruits for the mounted services. Anxious to get to the front, he transferred at the end of 1915 to the 1st Life Guards. His wish was gratified; he was sent to the front 'somewhere in France' on 24 January 1916. He died of wounds three months later on 29 April 1916. Accounts differ as to the circumstances of his death, the Adelaide Advertiser recorded his wounds were received in action, while the university’s 1920 roll of honour refers to a bomb accident. He is buried at St Omer in Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery.