Herbert Leslie (Herbie) COLLINS

COLLINS, Herbert Leslie

Service Numbers: 7166, N76384
Enlisted: 16 June 1915, Sydney, New South Wales
Last Rank: Lieutenant
Last Unit: Eastern Command HQ
Born: Darlinghurst, New South Wales, 21 January 1889
Home Town: Darlinghurst, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling: Albion Street Superior Public School
Occupation: Test Cricketer/Bookmaker
Died: Natural causes (lung cancer), Little Bay, New South Wales, 28 May 1959, aged 70 years
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

16 Jun 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7166, Sydney, New South Wales
30 Sep 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 7166, 1st Divisional Train, HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney
30 Sep 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 7166, 1st Divisional Train, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: ''
10 Mar 1920: Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 7166, 5th Divisional Train

World War 2 Service

17 Jul 1940: Enlisted Private, N76384, Sydney, New South Wales

World War 1 Service

18 Aug 1941: Promoted Lieutenant

World War 2 Service

6 Nov 1941: Discharged Lieutenant, N76384, Eastern Command HQ

Herbie Coliins - Australian Cricketer

Herbert (Herbie) Leslie Collins (21 January 1888 in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales – 28 May 1959 in Little Bay, Sydney) was an Australian cricketer who played 19 Tests between 1921 and 1926. An all-rounder, he captained the Australian team in eleven Tests, winning five, losing two with another four finishing in draws. In a Test career delayed by First World War he scored 1,352 runs at an average of 45.06, including four centuries. Collins was also a successful rugby league footballer, winning the 1911 NSWRFL season's grand final with the Eastern Suburbs club and also representing Queensland.
Collins was a keen gambler, a pastime that became habitual during his time as a soldier in the Great War. After the war, he played with the Australian Imperial Forces cricket team (AIF XI) that toured England, South Africa and Australia and was later appointed captain of the team. He was not a stylish or forceful batsman, preferring to rely on nudges and deflections to score runs. His slow left arm off-spin, bowled from a two step run up, was seldom seen after the AIF XI tour. On return to Australia, he made his Test début against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) scoring 104 in the second innings; the fifth Australian to score a century on Test début. He was appointed captain of the Australian team in 1921 in South Africa, when the previous captain, Warwick Armstrong, fell ill.
His Test career finished in disappointment and in a cloud of suspicion when Australia lost the Fifth Test and the Ashes against England in 1926. While some former players and cricket administrators suspected a case of match fixing, no material evidence supporting this has emerged. After his retirement from cricket, Collins used his gambling knowledge to start a career in horse racing, working as a bookmaker and commission agent.

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