Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"Early Life

William Collins was born at Knockdoc, County Galway, Ireland on March 25,1912. He was one of 14 children born to Nora and Thomas Collins. One brother was a Columban priest and one sister a member of a religious order. His early education was at St Mary’s College in Galway and his ecclesiastical studies were undertaken at All Hallows College in Dublin. He was ordained priest at All Hallows on June 21,1936.

Early appointments

When he arrived in Adelaide later that year, just after the 1936 National Catholic Education Conference, his first appointment on January 1, 1937 was to be on loan to the Port Augusta Diocese (now Port Pirie Diocese) for a period of one year and three months. There he lived in the presbytery at Peterborough. That was the residence of the Bishop of the time. St Anacletus Church was the pro-Cathedral.  

William spoke of Bishop Gilroy’s (later Cardinal Gilroy’s) tireless commitment to visiting his far-flung diocese. Fr Collins’ duties took him to different towns for Sunday Masses. He related the tale of having to sleep in the Sacristy at Quorn, while the coffin with the body of a young man lay in the church for the funeral next day.  

When he returned to Adelaide on March 31, 1938, he was appointed Assistant Priest in the St Peter’s Parish at Ellengowan. A year later he returned to the Cathedral parish to assist particularly at St Patrick’s Church and the west end of the city.

War time service as chaplain

Two years later, his life changed completely. On January 1, 1941, he was appointed as a Chaplain to the Armed Forces where he served for six years during World War II. At the end of the war, Archbishop Beovich asked him to remain in the army for a short while, as there was no parish vacancy to which he could be assigned.  

Having returned from his army service he was appointed firstly as locum tenens in the Parkside Parish and then in June 1948 he went as Assistant Priest to Woodville." - READ MORE LINK (www.adelaide.catholic.org.au)