Campbell, Colin Blair

2895 Private Colin Blair Campbell - 48th Battalion AIF

Colin Blair Campbell was born in Fremantle WA in 1895 to Robert and Isabella Campbell. He was one of nine siblings, with, Nellie 1884, Robert 1885, George 1887, Jessie 1889, Joseph 1892, Richard 1894, Arthur 1897 and Beatrice 1899.

The family had moved to Western Australia in 1891 and took up residence in Fremantle. Robert (snr) was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the WA Government Railways.

The family lived at 122 Victoria Road Fremantle. (Later called Queen Victoria Street).

Colin was educated at Fremantle Boys School during which time he served in the senior cadets at Fremantle Boys School as well as the 86A Cadets of the Citizens Military Forces.

After leaving school Colin took up employment as a clerk.

Three of his elder brothers had already enlisted into the Great War, so on the 4th September 1916 Colin also offered his services to the Australian Imperial Force.

The 21 year old Colin was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 8 inches tall;

Weight - 143lbs;

Chest Measurement - 36-37 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

Due to his being partially deaf, the medical examiner advised that;

I consider him fit for service, but not for firing line, though possibly for other duties.

Upon his successful enlistment Colin was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to No.81 Training Depot. He only spent a few days there before being transferred to the 7th Reinforcements to the 48th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months.

On the 9th November 1916 Colin and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship Argyllshire. The ship then set sail for England, arriving at Devonport England on the 10th January 1917.

After being disembarked the men were sent to the 12th Training Battalion at Codford Camp. Colin was here through to March 1917. He then requested to be discharged from the AIF so he could join the Munitions workforce. His father was already in England working in this field and Colin wanted to join him.

On the 21st June 1917 Colin was officially discharged from the AIF. He then joined the Munitions workforce. He was employed by Vickers Ltd at Crayford Kent. His father RB Campbell was also employed here.

Colin saw out the war working for Vickers. While he was in England he married Kate Norman who lived in Kent.

He left England June 1919, returning to Fremantle on the 17th July 1919. Sadly his father Robert died on 4th July 1919 when the transport ship Somali was in Colombo Harbour Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Colin's brother George was travelling with their father.

A son Colin Blair Campbell was born in North Fremantle in 1920 and Norman in 1922.

In the early 1920's the family moved to Guildford and Colin had found employment as a fitter. They lived here through to the 1950's.

In World War 2 his son Colin served in the Royal Australian Air Force with 455 Squadron and died on the 15th August 1943 when his plane crashed into the sea off Norway.

Colin Blair Campbell died on the 8th February 1969 and was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery