Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Phillip Collier (Regimental Number 16462) was born in 1885 to William James Collier and Ellen Matilda Davis in Bealiba, a township northwest of Maryborough.  His father William James Collier had emigrated during the goldrush from Berkshire in England; he married Mary in 1883, a local lass born in Dunolly.   The family moved to South Gippsland in 1888 where William Ernest Collier was born in Mirboo North of that year.  Mary went on to have 5 children with William James before his death in 1893.  In 1902 Ellen Collier married Robert Richardson, moving to live on the Allambee Estate.  John married Margaret Selina Middleton (known as Tootsie) of Trafalgar in 1910.  They had a daughter Betsy who died in 1915.  John, aged 30 subsequently joined the AIF, applying to enlist in Mirboo North on 31st Dec 1915, and enlisting in Melbourne on 12th January 1916 attached to the 15th Field Artillery Brigade AIF.  Prior to enlisting he had served 3 months with the 3rd, 10th Light Horse in 1908.  At enlistment his occupation is listed as labourer, but on the 1914 Census he is noted as being a farmer in Allambee East, perhaps working on the family farm.

Following initial training he became a driver with 3rd Reinforcements and embarked from Melbourne, on HMAT A35 Berrima on 4 July 1916 bound for England where he was stationed at Larkhill on the Salisbury Plain – the school of Instruction for Royal Horse and Field Artillery.  He proceeded overseas to France on 26th June 1917 as a driver with the 5th Div Ammunition Column.  In December he transferred to the 13th Field Artillery Brigade.  He was wounded in action 12th December 1917, He rejoined his unit from hospital on the 13th March 1918.

During WWI Tootsie moved to Fitzroy and died there in 1929.   John returned home from active service 21 July 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on 20th September of that year.  The 1922 and 1924 Electoral Rolls show him living with his brother William Ernest Collier at 49 Daisy Street Essendon, once again his occupation is listed as a labourer.  By 1926 John was working as a timber cutter, living in Snuffy Gully Nowa Nowa, before moving to Bermaguee where he purchased 501 acres and married Alice (Daisy) M Rankin in Bega in 1934.  Daisy died in Bega 6/12/1935. John’s land became forfeit in 1937 due to non payment of arrears.  Misfortune continued to follow him; losing all his possessions in the 1939 Bush Fires. John died in 1972, and is buried in the Dandenong Cemetery.

Courtesy of Avenel Jane