Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Aged 21 and five months, on the 27th of November 1914, Private Alexander (Alex) Collingwood enlisted for the Australian Imperial Force in Oaklands, at the Warradale Barracks. He would go on to fight at Gallipoli and the Western Front in France, as part of the First World War.

Born in regional South Australia, Alex left his hometown Penola for South Payneham. He lived there with his father, William Alfred Collingwood, and his mother, Mary Jane (nee Goddard). William Collingwood was born in the United Kingdom, later moving to Adelaide, South Australia, where he settled after marrying Goddard at Naracoorte in the south-east, where she lived. It was not known whether Alex was their only child.

In his records, Alex is described as being 5 foot 5.5 inches, weighing 140lbs, and measuring 33 inches across his chest. He had a ‘fairish’ complexion, blue eyes, and fair hair. He had 3 distinctive marks on his upper left arm. He was part of the Church of Christ and worked as a labourer prior to enlisting. His enlistment papers indicate he was 21 when he listed, however secondary sources indicate he may have been as young as 17 when he joined the Imperial Forces.  This was not an uncommon practice amongst aspiring soldiers keen to serve their country.

Collingwood embarked from Adelaide on board HMAS A17 Port Lincoln on the 1st of April 1915 heading to Gallipoli, Turkey.

He fought in the 50th and 10th Battalions during his service. As part of the 10th battalion, Collingwood would have worn a blue two-tone rectangular patch (as shown below). This unit was one of the first raised for the Imperial Forces for the First World War. The rectangular patch was replaced with a circular patch when he was moved to the 50th Battalion (as shown below). The emblem of the 50th Battalion appears on his grave.

The 3rd Brigade, made up of the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Battalions was among the first ashore at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli at around 4:30am on the 25th of April 1915. On this day, over 620 Australians died. The unit played a huge part in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC position, and served in this location until the evacuation in December 1915. Arriving ashore, Collingwood would not have known what to expect, as widespread belief amongst the Australian soldiers was that they would be fighting Germany. Instead, they would encounter the Turkish forces.

Throughout his service Collingwood was affected by sickness. On the 28th of July 1915, he was admitted to hospital in Malta for myalgia. Malta was called the ‘Nurse of the Mediterranean’, as it was known for having many hospitals.  Symptoms of myalgia are muscle aches and pains, which could have been severe.

A few months later on the 5th of September 1915, he was again admitted to hospital in England to be treated for rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a disease that causes inflammation of the heart, blood vessels and joints. He travelled to London on an English warship as a sick/wounded soldier.

After the troops were withdrawn from Gallipoli after a successful evacuation, the battalion returned to Egypt, on the 27th of November 1915, where they would train to fight at the Western Front. Collingwood was transferred to the 50th Battalion on the 26th of February 1916. His new unit departed for France in March 1916.

The 50th Battalion consisted of approximately half of 10th Battalion veterans; the other half were new recruits from Australia. The first major battle fought by the unit was between the 13th and 15th of August 1916, at Mouquet Farm in France. The farm stood in a strategic position on a ridge to the north-west of Pozieres and was held by the German defences. The offensive attack resulted in over 11,000 casualties.

Collingwood was discharged from the 4th Reinforcement and the Australian Imperial Forces on the 24th of January 1917. It is a possibility that this was due to the impacts of his illness.

After returning home, Collingwood married Eva Kidd.  A non-government sources indicates that Collingwood and Kidd had a daughter, Eva May Williams (nee Collingwood). Kidd was born in 1902, in Port Adelaide. Collingwood and Kidd were married in approximately 1922, when she was 20 years old. If information regarding his daughter is accurate, she was born to the couple on the 19th of January 1932. Eva was 29, and Alex aged 35.

Private Alex Collingwood passed away on the 14th of September 1959, aged 67 years. He is buried at the West Terrace War Cemetery, and featured on an honour board in Naracoorte.

Bibliography

50th Australian Infantry Battalion 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51490>.

‌10th Australian Infantry Battalion 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51450>.

‌Alexander Collingwood 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1899203>.

‌Details 2016, Adfa.edu.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=58243>.

‌Alexander Collingwood (abt.1897-1959) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree 2019, Wikitree.com, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Collingwood-244>.

‌Enlistment statistics, First World War | Australian War Memorial 2022, Awm.gov.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/enlistment/ww1>.

‌Lawry Leslie 2016, Maltese Military Hospitals during Gallipoli Campaign, The Great War (1914-1918) Forum, Great War Forum, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/239176-maltese-military-hospitals-during-gallipoli-campaign/>.

‌Egypt 2015, The road to Gallipoli: The Anzacs in Egypt, Mudgee Guardian, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/3020538/the-road-to-gallipoli-the-anzacs-in-egypt/>.

‌Department of Defence & ACT, R 2022, Department of Defence, Defence.gov.au, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.defence.gov.au/>.

The Spirit of ANZAC - ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee 2022, Anzacday.org.au, viewed 31 March 2022, <https://anzacday.org.au/spirit-of-anzac>.

‌Mouquet Farm 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 31 March 2022, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PL885>.