2/Lt Edgar Henry (Harry) Collison, 1/4 Norfolk Regt, att RFC

[rob carman]

Collison, a solicitor, was from a Volunteer family.   His father had served in the Norfolk Yeomanry from its formation in 1901.  Perhaps that is why young Collison, from 5 Bn country and who joined  4 Bn as late as as early 1915, was kept in 1/4 Bn, while other latecomers found themselves in 2/4 Bn.  Collinson went ashore at Suvla on 12 August but had left the battalion by October.  By late Spring 1916, he was attached to 9 (Reserve) Squadron, RFC and learning to fly at Mousehold aerodrome, outside Norwich.  On 16 June he took off in Maurice Farman Shorthorn 1893.  It was his first solo flight.  He crashed on landing and died of his injuries 10 days later, on 26 June. He was 25.  The cause of the accident was judged to be pilot error not mechanical failure. His was buried in St Mary’s, East Bilney beneath a private gravestone.  His father, Rev HR Collison, vicar at St Mary’s until 1907, had been buried there in 1911.  There is a memorial plaque to Collison inside St Mary’s, but he is not named on the East Bilney memorial.  He is named on the memorial in Coltishall to where his father had retired after 1907.  

 

The photos show 2/Lt Edgar Henry “Harry” Collison, 1/4 Bn, Norfolk Regt, Bury St Edmunds, 1915 (eBay) and memorial plaque, St Mary’s East Bilney (Gary Troughton, flickr)

 

 

  I would be most grateful.for additions and corrections to these notes, perhaps a clearer image, a photo of his grave, or an obituary from a Norwich newspaper.

 

[chaz]

aviators certificate

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1283/31032_A200005-00426?pid=12333&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DuEa2535%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-c%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26gsfn%3Dedgar%20h%26gsfn_x%3D0%26gsln%3Dcollison%26gsln_x%3D1%26MSAV%3D1%26uidh%3Dj99%26pcat%3D39%26h%3D12333%26dbid%3D1283%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D7&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=uEa2535&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true#?imageId=31032_A200005-00426

picture without hat

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1283/31032_A200031-00019/12333?backUrl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3f_phsrc%3duEa2535%26_phstart%3dsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3dtrue%26gss%3dangs-c%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26gsfn%3dedgar%20h%26gsfn_x%3d0%26gsln%3dcollison%26gsln_x%3d1%26MSAV%3d1%26uidh%3dj99%26pcat%3d39%26h%3d12333%26dbid%3d1283%26indiv%3d1%26ml_rpos%3d7&ssrc=&rdb=RoyalAeroClub

[Langdon]

Hi Rob,

Chaz beat me to it - but have sent an email .

Mike

Edited 10 March , 2018 by Langdon

[little bob]

The Diss Express & Norfolk & Suffolk Journal  Friday June 30  1916.

[rob carman]

Thank you everybody.  Just what I was hoping for.  Rob.

[PRC]

Apologies - took this picture of the Coltishall War Memorial over 10 years ago and even this it was not one of my best, but shows the face with Edgar Collison's name on it.

 

Coltishall War Memorial by Moominpappa06, on Flickr

 

Micro-filmed copies of several local titles for the period are held at the Local Studies Library in Norwich, with more held at the County Archive. Unfortunately those films are dated from 1995 and have been much abused over the years. My need to look at them have been patchy but I have had cause recently to try and decipher and transcribe the Norwich Mercury for the middle two weeks of July 1916. Published on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I started with the edition for Saturday 8th July. That edition included the following report:-

 

EAST BILNEY.

 

FUNERAL OF LIEUT. COLLISON. With all military honours the body of Second-Lieut. Edgar Henry Collison, Norfolk Regiment, attached to the Royal Flying Corps, who met with such an untimely death through an aeroplane accident, was interred on Friday in the churchyard of East Bilney. He was interred by the side of his father, the Rev. H. Collison, formerly of this parish. Resting on the Union Jack that covered the coffin was a profusion of beautiful floral tributes. The mourners comprised Mr. A. Collison and Mr. and Mrs. Weir (Essex), and amongst others present were Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Hervey, (Bilney Hall), the Rev. Percy Hall, (Gressenhall), Mr. E,M, Calvert (Norwich), Chaplain C.E* Bolingbroke, (Norwich), Mr. Ivor Ward, (Salhouse Hall), Mr. C. Tuthill, (Fakenham), Mr. G. Drew, (Herringtoft), Mr. and Mrs. H.F. Riches, (Mileham), Miss Riches, (Bilney). Mr. F.B. Gale, (Beetley), Mr. H.F. Beckitt, (Beetley), Mr. G. Tunney, (Gressenhall), Mr. R. Bond, (Coltishall) and many others. The service was conducted by the Rector, the Rev. H.T. Wells, assisted by Canon Blake-Humphrey (Rural Dean), the Rev. F.H. Tatham, (Ryburgh) and the Rev. E.H. Townsend. The hymns sung in the church were, “On the resurrection morning”, and “Peace, perfect peace,” and at the close of the service Mr. A. Hubbard, the organist, played the “Dead March” in “Saul”. The grave had been lined with ivy and evergreens by Mr. H. Rudrum, of Bilney. The inscription on the coffin was “Edgar Henry Collison, born June 21^st 1881, died June 26^th 1916.”

 

The military was well represented, including the following of his brother officers of the Royal Flying Corps – Major Wilson, Captain Pretty, Lieut. Russell, Lieut. Mackintosh, Lieut. Champion, Lieut. Leith, Lieut. Knowlden, Lieut. Donnell, Lieut. Webb, and Lieut. Britton. A detachment of the regiment lined each side of the church path and followed to the grave. At the close of the service a firing party from the depot of the Norfolk Regiment, under Lieut. Berners, fired three volleys, after which the buglers sounded the “Last Post.” The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. I.W. Caley and Co.

 

*Might be “B”

 

Hopefully I shall be the Local Studies Library this week and can check out the same period in the Eastern Daily Press, the Eastern Evening News, and the Norfolk Chronicle.

 

Other Documentation.

 

There is an entry for him in the 1916 Probate Calendar - extract attached. Thanks to the effects of inflation that final estate value of £25,581 in 1916 would be worth about £1.5 million in 2018 terms.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar

 

In the 1915 edition of the Norfolk Register of Electors, (prepared late 1914 for use in elections in 1915), there are four separate entries for an Edgar Henry Collison, and I believe they all relate to this man.

 

In the Mileham Parish, an Edgar Henry Collison, of the Manor House, Coltishall, was entitled to a vote in Parliamentary and Parish elections as he owned freehold land at Mileham.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HTN-FWW

 

In the Fakenham Parish, an Edgar Henry Collison, of the Manor House, Coltishall, was entitled to a vote in Parliamentary and Parish elections as he owned the freehold of a house at Fakenham.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H1W-T3H

 

In the Coltishall Parish an Edgar Henry Collison, of the Manor House, Coltishall, was entitled to vote in County Council elections only.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H1W-HD2

 

However a second entry under another category restore the right to vote in Parliamentary and Parish elections for the same address.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H1W-HNQ

 

Strictly speaking he should only get one Parliamentary vote – the Returning Officers for each Parliamentary Constituency were supposed to scrutinise the Electoral Registers to ensure this was the case. In Edgars’ case they don’t appear to have done a very good job!

 

Last but not least, the 19 year Edgar Henry is actually described as the Head of the Household at The Manor House, Coltishall. The consequence of that is that he signed the census return that he had completed it fully and to the best of his knowledge. So attached is a crop to show his signature.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Peter

Edited 10 March , 2018 by PRC
Typo

[rob carman]

Great stuff Peter.  Thank you.