John Henry Collins

Service number: 2119

Rank: Sergeant

Unit: 3rd Battalion 6th Reinforcement

Service: Australian Army

Date of death:

Cemetery or memorial details:

War Grave Register notes:

Source: National Archives of Australia

John Henry Collins was 28 and a half and a labourer at enlistment on 26th April 1915. John was married to Ellen Collins and they resided at Francis Street, Manly. He embarked from Sydney on 16th June 1915 per the H.M.A.T. A63 Karoola. John Collins received a gunshot wound in the left thigh, and was admitted to the No 1 General Hospital on 10th August 1915. Upon recuperation he was transferred to the Pioneer Battalion, and served in France. John was promoted to Corporal on 12th October 1917 then Sergeant on 6th June 1918. He was discharged and returned to Australia per the Orsova in January 1919. His brother Robert, a former professional cyclist, died of wounds received at Gallipoli.

On 4 August 1915, Private John H Collins wrote to his wife, Mrs Ellen Collins, who lived at Francis Street, Manly:

“This is the first chance I have had to drop you a line since I have been in the trenches. I am well, but Bob [his brother, Robert Collins] is not too good. He has not been too good ever since we landed here. I must look a character. I haven’t had a wash for a week, and shaving is out of the question. You have a wash about once a week. This is very rough and hilly country. This is a new experience for me – writing letters whilst shells are bursting all around us. Some of the poor fellows here look awful. Tell Arthur Batty I will write to him the first chance I get, and that I have dished a Turk or two for him. I have received no letters since I left Australia, and when I do get some I expect enough to fill a mail bag. We get plenty of boiled rice and currants here, and you have to eat it lively, or else the flies will eat it for you. The flies are worse than the Turks’ shells. I want to get down in my dug-out to have a sleep. I suppose you wonder what a dug-out is. Well, it is a hole you make for yourself to rest in, and is generally in a pretty safe place.”

In a later letter, dated 13 August 1915, Private Collins, writing from a hospital in Heliopolis, wrote:

“I will try and tell you a little about the Dardanelles. When we came over here they put us straight into the firing line, and I can tell you we felt pretty uncomfortable for a while, as there were shells bursting all around us and bullets flying all over the place. You have only to stick your head up, and whizz a bullet goes past your ear. After eight days in the trenches, with shell and shot flying over our heads, they decided to make an attack, and it was on August 6 that we were told to get ready for a desperate charge.

That afternoon we had 150 rounds of ammunition in our pouches, and another 50 rounds in our haversacks, besides rations, so it will give you an idea of what a man has to carry in action. There was a heavy bombardment from the artillery, and we were all waiting for the signal to make the charge, which seemed like facing certain death, because they had their machine guns and rifles blazing away at us all the time. Well, we got the signal to fix bayonets and charge, and then the slaughter started properly. We reached the first line of trenches, and after we had been in a few minutes we were fighting like madmen, standing on top of dead and wounded and shooting the Turks down like dogs. Of course they were doing the same. Some of our poor fellows dropped dead with shock, while there were a terrible lot went deaf and dumb. You might not understand this, but I will explain all when I come home. They say there were thousands of wounded. There were hundreds came back in the same boat as I did, but many died of their wounds and were buried at sea. I heard today that Bob was wounded, but I could not find out which hospital he was in. I hope it is not serious with him. Those Turks are a fine big body of men, and they fight like hell while they are in the trenches, but once you get them in the open they run for their lives. A man named Sergt [John Robert] Skinner from Manly was killed, and Les Buckley is wounded. I think the latter’s leg was broken. I got weighed when I came here and am 11 stone naked, so I haven’t lost much weight.”