Second Lieutenant Frederick William CollinsPrint Page

The stained glass window commemorates Second Lieutenant Frederick William Collins who was killed in France in April 1916 during World War One.

Second-Lieut. W. Collins, whose death from wounds was announced in The Register on Thursday, was the elder son of Mr. Fred Collins, of Delamere, Rapid Bay. Until he was 25 years old he worked on his father's farm at Delamere, and for a time in New South Wales. At the end of 1909 he took up land in the south-east, but relinquished it to prepare himself for Holy Orders in the Church of England. He passed 1910 and the following year in studying for the senior public examination at Kapunda, where the parishioners of Christ Church remember with gratitude his unselfish labours as lay reader and superintendent of the Sunday school. So successful had he been at Kapunda that he was advised, with the consent of the Bishop of Adelaide, to go for training for Holy Orders to St. Augustine's College, Canterbury, England.

This he did at the beginning of 1912. His three years' course finished at the end of 1914. The Warden of the College (Bishop Knight) urged Mr. Collins to proceed to Durham to obtain his degree. "Collins!" the Warden was heard to say."He is one of the manliest men I have had here. He is a credit to Australia. Send us as many Australians of this type as you can."

When the war broke out, St. Augustine's had 70 students. Within four months it had only 12 left— 58 had volunteered. Several of them have made the supreme sacrifice. Mr. Collins was among the 58. He received a commission as second-lieutenant, owing to his having been for many years connected with the one-time famous Yankalilla Troop of Light Horse. He was sent to the Curragh Camp, near Dublin. Anxious to get to the front, he transferred at the end of 1915 to the 1st Life Guards. His wish was gratified; he was sent to the front "somewhere in France" in January. The sad news came to his parents last week that he was dangerously wounded and in hospital. On Monday, May 1, another cable message came to say that the brave Australian had died on April 29.
Observer (Adelaide), 6 May 1916.

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