Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick was only 16 years 2 months old when he was killed.

His father, 4785 Pte. Lewis Frank Collins, 48th Battalion, AIF, died of wounds in Fremantle on the 26 January, 1918.

Frank Lewis had arrived in Fremantle from England during 1913. He was accompanied by his wife Annie and their five children, the youngest being only 3 years old. Lewis enlisted in November 1915, and left Australia from Fremantle with the 15th reinforcements of the 16th Battalion in April 1916. He joined the 48th Battalion in France on the 12 August 1916, and was in action only for several weeks. He was most severely wounded on the 31 August 1916, suffering horrific bomb wounds to his right leg which was amputated at the knee joint, then on 1 September 1916 amputated again further up the thigh after it went septic. The second amputation took place in England in December 1916. His right arm was also badly fractured, smashing the humerus bone, and shredding much of the muscle on his arm. He was returned to Australia 1 November 1917, and died in the 3rd Australian General Hospital, when he collapsed under anesthetic, undergoing another operation. The date of death was 26 January, 1918 and he was buried in Fremantle Cemetery, being just over 40 years old.

His son 4171 Private Frederick Clive Collins, 11th Battalion, was also killed in action at Pozieres on the 25 July, 1916. Born in Witley England 10 June 1900 he was barely 16 years of age. He was the son of Lewis Frank and Annie Collins, living at Victoria Park, Western Australia. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial in France.

Frederick enlisted in September 1915, and left Australia in January 1916, with the 11th Battalion. He joined the battalion in France, on the 25 May, 1916 and went missing at Pozieres on the 25 July 1916. He was not confirmed as being killed in action until May 1918 and also has no known grave. He was actually listed as absent without leave for a considerable period, for months after his death, which probably caused the delay in confirming his death.

Frederick Clive Collins, known as Freddie, was born 10th June 1900 in Godalming, Surrey, England…the second eldest of 4 children born to his parents Lewis and Annie Collins.  In May 1913 Lewis came out to Australia by himself and arrived in Fremantle WA where he found work as a railway fettler.  He found a home for the family to live in so Annie and the 4 children joined him in October 1913…Frank 15, Freddie 14, Cyril 6 and Muriel 2.  However, for whatever reason, by 1915 Annie and the 2 youngest children had returned to England while Lewis remained in Fremantle with Frank and Freddie.  By August 1915 Frank was working as a station hand near Geraldton and Freddie was working as a farm hand near Moora, 250kms south of Geraldton.  In September 1915 they both did something that would change the direction of their lives forever. 

Freddie sent a telegram from the post office at Moora to his mother in England which contained 3 words…“Can I enlist?”.  Her reply was even shorter…”Yes.”  Freddie made his way to Perth and enlisted at Blackboy Hill Army Camp on 11th September 1915 aged 15 but seeing as he was under age to enlist, he gave his age as 18.  Frank enlisted at the recruiting office in Geraldton on 8th September 1915 aged 16 but gave his age as 21.  He then made his way to Blackboy Hill Camp to join Freddie.  They were assigned to different units…Frank with the 16th Battalion 12th Reinforcements and Freddie with the 11th Battalion 13th Reinforcements.  With his 2 sons having enlisted and the rest of his family back in England, Lewis enlisted on 9.11.1915 at Perth aged 39.  He was assigned to Frank’s battalion, the 16th but to the 15th Reinforcements.  The paths of all 3 would converge on the Somme at Pozieres in July 1916.  Their stories are intertwined so this biography is the story of all 3…a father and his 2 young sons who went to serve their King and country in war but not all would survive the war…2 would make the supreme sacrifice. 

Freddie is described as being 5ft 4ins tall with a dark complexion, hazel eyes and dark brown hair…very similar to Frank’s description.  His service number was 4171 and his rank Private.  He embarked from Fremantle WA on 17th January 1916 on HMAT Borda and disembarked at Suez, Egypt, on 9th February 1916.  He then proceeded to the 3rd Training Battalion at Serapeum Camp before embarking for France from Alexandria on HMT Transylvania on 29.3.1916.  He disembarked at Marseilles on 4.4.1916 then proceeded to the Australian General Base Depot at Etaples before joining his unit in the field at the firing line at Petillon, just south of Fromelles on 25.5.1916.  He was in D Company.  In June 1916 the battalion moved to near Fleurbaix then throughout the first half of July they moved to Sailly, Outtersteene, Meteren, Doullens, Naoirs and Rubempre. 

On 19th July 1916 they moved into the frontline at Pozieres in preparation for the Battle of Pozieres which commenced on 23rd July.  This was the Battalion’s first major battle in France and it was also Freddie’s last.  There had been heavy and continuous bombardment for 3 days and at midnight on 25th July 1916 Freddie and D Company took up their position in No Man’s Land.  By 12.30am most of the 11th Battalion Officers were either dead or wounded.  Freddie was reported missing and confusion reigned for quite some time as to what really happened to him.  No one actually witnessed his death and his body was not recovered.  However, after a long investigation it was finally determined in June 1918 that he was killed in action on the 25th July 1916.  He was aged 16.  At the end of that day, 25th July 1916, the Battalion was withdrawn from the frontline for a rest.  History records that this battle was the most terrible of all battles that the 1st Australian Division was engaged in and it was also the most costly for the 11th Battalion who suffered more casualties than any other battalion in the Division.  Captain Walter Belford was the 11th Battalion’s historian and he later wrote a book telling the story of the 11th Battalion called “Legs Eleven”.  The following verse is an extract from his book.   

“They were the boys from the Western State, Brave Battalion Eleven; They did not tarry, they did not wait, when the call was given.  First to respond to their Country’s need, nothing they feared, nor death did they heed…Brave Battalion Eleven.”

On the 25th July Freddie’s brother Frank was at Naours, 40klms west of Pozieres and was marching toward Pozieres with the 16th Battalion to take part in the same battle.  His father Lewis was 60klms west of Pozieres at Berteaucourt and was also making his way to Pozieres to join his unit, the 48th Battalion.  Frank suffered shell shock during the battle of Mouquet Farm on 10th August 1916 and Lewis was seriously wounded on 31st August at Pozieres when a shell exploded beside him.  His right leg was amputated at the knee and he had a compound fracture of the right elbow which left him with restricted movement of the joint.  He was evacuated to England.  One night while Lewis was a patient at the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall UK in early 1917, he went AWOL from 9pm to 9am and it would seem that he spent time with his wife Annie which 9 months later resulted in the birth of their 5th child Lewis.  Lewis Snr was returned to Australia in November 1917 for further surgery on his wounds and during that operation at the 8th Australian General Hospital at Fremantle on 26th January 1918, Lewis collapsed under the chloroform anaesthetic and died on the table.  He was 41. 

In less than 7 weeks in the fighting at Pozières and Mouquet Farm 3 Australian divisions suffered 23,000 casualties.  Of these, 6,800 men were killed or died of wounds.  It was a loss comparable with the casualties sustained by the Australians over eight months at Gallipoli in 1915.  Freddie and his father were 2 of these casualties and in his own way, Frank was too…he wasn’t killed but he was damaged in that he was never the same again. 

After treatment for his shell shock Frank returned to his unit and from July to October 1916 he saw plenty of action with the 16th Battalion who took part in several major battles…the 3rd Battle of Ypres, Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Passchendaele.  In late February 1918 Frank was transferred to Australian Army Service Corps (AASC) after he’d committed several offences.  These offences all date from after his shell shock and the death of his brother.  Prior to that he had an exemplary record.  On 27th December 1918 Frank married Ivy May Collins, his childhood sweetheart from Witley, at Godalming in Surrey.  They embarked from England for Australia and arrived at Fremantle on 3rd August 1919.  

Annie returned to live in Perth WA in January 1920 bringing the 3 youngest children with her.  Frank and Ivy welcomed 2 children…Marion and Ronnie and by 1927 they were living at Balingup, 230klms south of Perth WA.  Frank passed away in the repatriation ward of Perth Hospital on 6th August 1927 aged 28.  He was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA.  

After the war Annie received a Memorial Scroll, Plaque and Royal Letter from the King, for both Freddie and Lewis.  These were presented to the next of kin of those who died while serving in the Australian Imperial Force in WW1, acknowledging the soldier’s service and their loss. 

Freddie is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial which stands within Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery in France.  It was erected to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the First World War.  Freddie is commemorated on one of the three walls of this memorial which bears the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave.

Freddie is also commemorated on several other Memorials…State War Memorial WA, Moora WW1 Honour Wall WA and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour in Canberra ACT.

Frederick Clive Collins was awarded for service in WW1 the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 3rd October 2023.

Sources

The Lost Boys by Paul Byrnes (Book)