Collins, Lewis Frank

No.4785 – Private Lewis Frank Collins – 48^th Battalion AIF

Lewis Frank Collins was born in Alton Hants England in 1876 and was educated in England. He later married Annie Collins and they lived in Surrey England. Lewis came out to Western Australia for work pre war and worked in Fremantle as a Fitter and Turner.

On the 9^th November 1915 he offered his services to the AIF and was accepted as fit. The medical examiner found him to be 5 feet 7 inches in height; weight of 125 lbs; chest measurement of 34-36 inches; fresh complexion; blue eyes and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.

Initially allotted to No.35 Depot and then “A” company of 4 Depot Battalion, on the 16^th December 1915 he was assigned to the 14^th Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion. However after training with this group for two months; he was then to the 15^th Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion. He left Fremantle with this group on the H.M.A.T. “Ulysses” on the 1^st April 1916. On arrival in Egypt he joined the 4^th Training Battalion and in May was then transferred to the 12^th Training Battalion and he stayed with them for the duration of his stay in Egypt. On the 7^th June 1916 he left Alexandria Egypt with this group and after arriving at Marseilles on the 14^th June, was sent to Etaples where he joined the 4^th Australian Division Base Depot. Lewis stayed at the Base Depot until August 1916. He was taken on strength of the 48^th Battalion at Pozieres on the 14^th August 1916. Lewis fought with the 48^th at the actions around Mouquet Farm and on the 31^st August 1916 was badly wounded by bomb fragments in the arms and legs. Evacuated back to hospital, Lewis’s right leg was amputated and after being sent across to London General Hospital in Wandsworth England a further portion of the remaining part of the leg above the knee was amputated. The severe damage to the right arm slowly healed but he never regained full use of the arm. His stay in hospital was a long one and on the 22^nd March 1917 Lewis was transferred to the 2^nd Auxiliary Hospital. While at Southall in May 1917 he went AWOL for two days. He was admonished by Lt-Colonel Martin and was fined 2 days pay.

Further work was done on his wounds at Southall and in November 1917 he was found fit enough to travel so on the 1^st November 1917 Lewis boarded the transport ship back to Western Australia. After arriving in Fremantle on Christmas Day December 25^th 1917, Lewis was sent straight to No.8AGH in South Terrace.

Further operations were conducted to try and improve his condition but on the 26^th January 1918, Lewis died while under chloroform anaesthesia. Lewis was given a military funeral in Fremantle Cemetery and lies in plot CE.AA.1623.

His son, Frederick Collins, enlisted underage in the First World War, and served with the 11^th Battalion being killed at Pozieres, aged just 16.