Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

24/93 Corporal Horatio Cecil Collins. Killed in Action 14th July, 1916.

Horatio has been remembered by the New Zealand Methodist Times of 19th August, 1916 "When the call was made for the Earl of Liverpool's Own Battalions, Corporal Horatio Cecil Collins at once enlisted and went into camp at Trentham, and was there at the first stages of formation of that camp and during the troublesome times. With his company he was removed to the Rangiotu Camp at Palmerston, where he finished his colonial training and was made a lance-corporal. He arrived in Egypt, and had a strenuous time with the others, and on leaving for France was made a corporal. In due course he was drafted into the trenches, and a few days ago he was killed in action. He was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs W H Collins of Ashburton, and was thirty-one years of age. He was educated at the Hampstead School under the then headmaster, Mr Brock (now chief inspector), and passed on to the High School where he remained for four years, and was dux of the school. He was well known in business circles in Ashburton, being a member of the firm of W H Collins and Co. He was also a member of the Ashburton Masonic Lodge and the Oddfellows. He was a scholar in Baring Square Methodist Sunday school and one of the active young men of the church. Deep sympathy is felt for Mr and Mrs Collins in the death of their son."


See also: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph.
See also: New Zealand War Graves Project.

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley