1915. Private Coles _m._ at Leiston, Suffolk, 4 March, 1911,

Beatrice Mary (30, Paradise Place, Leiston, Suffolk), dau. of Thomas Chilvers, and had one son, Charles James Thomas, _b._ 11 Aug. 1911. [Illustration: =Charles George Coles.=] =COLES, EDGAR RALPH=, Capt., 3rd (Prince of Wales’) Dragoon Guards, 2nd _s._ of Ernest Harry Coles, of Arnolds, Holmwood, co. Surrey, by his wife, Adela Caroline, dau. of James Heslop Powell; _b._ Caterham, co. Surrey, 13 May, 1889; educ. Hazlewood (Limpsfield), Marlborough, and at Magdalene College, Cambridge, whence, having taken his degree, he entered the Army as a University candidate, being gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 3rd Dragoon Guards, 23 Feb. 1910. He was promoted Lieut. 28 March, 1911, and Capt. 18 Nov. 1914; was with his regt. in Cairo for two years, returning to England in the summer of 1914, when he went to Aldershot to learn signalling. On the outbreak of war he left with his regt. for the Front, served in France and Flanders, and was killed in action in the trenches near Hooge, late on the night of 12 May (the eve of his twenty-sixth birthday). He was buried at Witte Poort Farm, two miles east of Ypres; _unm._ Capt. Coles was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French’s Despatch of 14 Jan. 1915, for exceedingly good work in carrying messages and maintaining communication under heavy shell fire at Zillebeke in Nov. 1914. His commanding officer, Major Burt, wrote: “His gallantry had already been recognised by the authorities, and his splendid example and comradeship will be greatly missed by all ranks in the regt.” Lieut. Holt, Acting Adjutant, 3rd Dragoon Guards, said: “His gallantry was an inspiration to his men,” and his soldier servant, Private Harvey, who had been with him ever since he joined the Army: “He was one of the coolest officers that was ever under fire.” [Illustration: =Edgar Ralph Coles.=] =COLES, EWART JOHN=, Private, No. 876, 1/6th Battn. East Surrey Regt. (T.F.), attd. D. Coy. 2nd Battn. Norfolk Regt., _s._ of the late William Coles, House and Church Decorator [_b._ Cheddar, co. Somerset], by his wife, Eliza Ellen (7, Wilton Avenue, Richmond, Surrey), dau. of James Summerhayes; _b._ Paddington, London, 9 Aug. 1893; educ. Holy Trinity Church School, Richmond, Surrey, and was in the employ of the Pearl Assurance Co. He had joined the East Surrey Territorials in March, 1908, and on the outbreak of war volunteered for foreign service; mobilised 4 Aug. 1914; went to India 29 Oct. 1914, and in Sept. 1915, left with the British Expeditionary Force for the Persian Gulf, and was killed in action at Ctesiphon, 22 Nov. 1915; _unm._ Writing to Mrs. Coles, Lieut.-Col. A. P. Drayson said: “I have known your son for a good many years, and have always looked upon him as the right stamp of soldier, always willing, smart and keen in any work he had to do,” adding that he felt that by his death they had “lost one of the best men in the regt.” =COLES, ROBERT=, L.-Corpl., No. 7043, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of William Coles, of Eton Place, High Street, Crediton, by his wife, Emma, dau. of the late William Williams, of Llanvihangel, near Monmouth; _b._ Shobrooke, Crediton, co. Devon, 26 Jan. 1887; educ. there; enlisted 1907, and was killed in action at the Battle of the Aisne, 18 Sept. 1914, being buried in Soupir Cemetery; _unm._ He was well known as a crack shot, having taken part in the Army Competition at Bisley on several occasions, and had won a number of cups and medals. [Illustration: =Robert Coles.=] =COLLES, ARTHUR GROVE=, Capt., 4th Battn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers, only _s._ of Alexander Colles, of 3, Elgin Road, co. Dublin, Inspector, Registrar of Petty Sessions Office, Dublin Castle, by his wife, Georgina, dau. of Robert George Cullin; _b._ Dublin, 12 Feb. 1891; educ. St. Andrew’s College, Dublin; joined the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 11 Nov. 1910, and was gazetted Lieut. April, 1912, and Capt. Dec. 1914. He was attached for a year to the Connaught Rangers at the Curragh. Shortly after the outbreak of war he was sent to the Front with the 1st Battn. Royal Irish Rifles, to which regt. he was gazetted 2 March, 1915. Capt. Colles fought at Neuve Chapelle, 10–12 March, 1915, and was killed in action in the village of that name on the last-mentioned date. He was buried in the orchard of the château at Neuve Chapelle; _unm._ Letters from his brother officers and the men of his battn. all bear testimony to his great capabilities and his fearlessness in the face of danger. A brother officer says that the last he saw of him was “charging for all he was worth at the head of his men.” [Illustration: =Arthur Grove Colles.=] =COLLET, CHARLES HERBERT, D.S.O.=, Lieut., Royal Marine Artillery, and Flight Commander, Royal Naval Air Service, 2nd _s._ of James Francis Herbert Collet, of Millbrook, Southampton, late of the Public Works Department of the Government of India, Engineer, by his wife, Teresa, dau. of Francis (and Teresa) Pilley; _b._ Calcutta, 4 Feb. 1888; educ. Elizabeth College, Guernsey, and Dulwich College, London, S.E.; joined the Royal Marine Artillery, 1 Sept. 1905, and was promoted Lieut. 1 July. 1906, and transferred to the Naval Wing of Royal Flying Corps in 1913, in which he was gazetted Flight Commander 23 Feb. 1915. On the outbreak of war he served on the Western Front, taking part in the defence of Antwerp until the evacuation, and subsequently at the Dardanelles. On 23 Sept. British aeroplanes of the Naval Wing delivered an attack on the Zeppelin sheds at Düsseldorf. Conditions were rendered very difficult by the misty weather, but Flight Lieut. Collet, as he then was, flying a Sopwith tractor biplane, made a long flight, and dropped three bombs on the Zeppelin shed, approaching within 400 ft. His machine was struck by one projectile, but he returned safely to his point of departure. For this exploit, which was the pioneer exploit of its kind, he received the Distinguished Service Order, and the Director of the Air Department of the Admiralty, in a memorandum dated 11 Oct., described the “feat as notable--gliding down from 6,000 ft., the last 1,500 ft. in mist, he finally coming in sight of the airship shed, when at a height of 400 ft., and when only a quarter of a mile distant”; adding “The importance of this incident lies in the fact that it shows that in the event of further bombs being dropped into Antwerp or other Belgian towns measures of reprisal can certainly be adopted, if desired, to almost any extent.” He was twice brought down in France, but managed to escape; on the first occasion being forced to alight between the firing lines. On the second occasion, his engine being damaged by shrapnel over the German lines, he had to volplane, just managing to reach the Belgian lines, and coming under fire from both sides, as the Belgians mistook him for a German and seized him as a prisoner. In the Dardanelles he participated in the landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula, 25 April, 1915, and engaged in several combats with hostile aeroplanes. He lost his life in the Eastern Mediterranean while on patrol duty, by an accident to his aeroplane resulting from engine failure, 19 Aug. 1915; _unm._ For his gallantry in endeavouring to rescue Capt. Collet, Michael Sullivan Keogh, Chief Petty Officer, H.M.S. Ark Royal, received the Albert Medal (2nd Class), the official record [London Gazette, 14 Jan. 1916], being as follows: “On 19 Aug. 1915, an aeroplane, piloted by the late Capt. C. H. Collet, D.S.O., R.M.A., was ascending from Imbros Aerodrome, and had reached a height of 150 ft. when the engine stopped. The machine was upset by the powerful air currents from the cliffs, and fell vertically to the ground, while the petrol carried burst into flames, which immediately enveloped the aeroplane and pilot. Chief Petty Officer Keogh, upon arriving at the scene of the accident, at once made an attempt to save Capt. Collet by dashing into the midst of the wreckage, which was a mass of flames. He had succeeded in dragging the fatally injured officer nearly clear of the flames when he was himself overcome by the burns which he had received from the blazing petrol.” Capt. Collet was regarded as one of the best naval airmen, having first attracted attention by his flying on the big biplane bought by the Admiralty from the Deutsche Flugzeug Werke of Leipzig in 1913. Early in 1914 he had this machine equipped with a huge petrol tank in place of the passenger’s seat, and started from Plymouth on a non-stop flight to John o’ Groats. He was brought down by engine trouble at Grimsby, but the flight stood as a British “record” for distance across country. While stationed at the Royal Naval Flying School at Eastchurch, Collet was the first officer in the Naval Air Service to loop the loop. A General officer with whom he served for a time on observation duty at the Dardanelles, wrote of him to his father in the highest terms. He held several trophies for boxing and shooting; he was a winner of the Navy and Marine light-weight boxing championship, and was in the final for the Army and Navy light-weight championships. He received the Distinguished Service Order 21 Oct. 1914, and was twice mentioned in Despatches: first by the Admiralty [London Gazette, 21 Oct. 1914], and again by F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French [London Gazette, 17 Feb. 1915]. He was _unm._ [Illustration: =Charles Herbert Collet.=] =COLLETT, FREDERICK WILLIAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 4691), S.S. 1669, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COLLIER, ALFRED ERNEST=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2529), 215083, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COLLIER, FREDERICK HENRY=, Private, No. 9986, 1st Battn. East Kent Regt. (The Buffs), _s._ of Charles Collier, of 3, Beach Street, Dover; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 25 Oct. 1914. =COLLIER, GEORGE=, Private, No. 9822, 1st Battn. Royal West Kent Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 5 May, 1915; _m._ =COLLIER, THOMAS=, Private, R.M.L.I., 10587, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _unm._ =COLLINGE, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 9986, 1st Battn. Scots Guards; _b._ Leyland, co. Lancaster; enlisted 2 Sept. 1914, aged 20; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; reported missing after the fighting on 25 Jan. 1915. =COLLINGS, WALLACE=, Private, No. 1627, 2nd Battn. South Lancashire Regt., 6th _s._ of Henry Bence Collings, of 16, Stour Street, Kirkdale, by his wife Helen, dau. of John Rowe, of Exeter; _b._ Liverpool, 20 July, 1895; educ. Council Schools there; enlisted 4 Oct. 1911, and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 27 Oct. 1914; _unm._ =COLLINGWOOD, WILLIAM=, Private, No. 6540, 2nd Battn. King’s Own Scottish Borderers, 3rd _s._ of the late John Collingwood, of Denton Burn, Scotswood, Northumberland, Coal Miner, by his wife, Eleanor, dau. of William Millar; _b._ Newburn, co. Northumberland, 25 Nov. 1876; educ. Denton Burn, and was afterwards employed at the Montagu Colliery, Denton Burn; enlisted in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers at Berwick-on-Tweed, 31 Oct. 1898, and served with them through the South African War, being present at operations in Paardeberg, Johannesburg and Cape Colony, for which he received the Queen’s and King’s medals and five bars, also a certificate for good services in the Mounted Infantry, 26 May, 1903. On the outbreak of the European War he was called to the Colours 4 Aug. 1914; left with the 2nd Battn. King’s Own Scottish Borderers for France 15 Aug.; was in the Battle of Mons and the retreat to Compiègne, after which he returned home for a time on sick leave. He left again for the Front at the end of Oct., and was in the First Battle of Ypres and several subsequent engagements in Belgium, and was killed in action by shrapnel shell bursting in trench at the Second Battle of Ypres, 5 March, 1915. He was buried at Zillebeke, near Ypres. Private Collingwood _m._ at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 6 March, 1909, Mary Jane (98, Delaval Road, West Benwell, Newcastle), eldest dau. of Jacob Heslop, and had a son and two daus.: George Heslop, _b._ 13 Nov. 1911; Winifred, _b._ 11 Oct. 1909; and Eleanor, _b._ 1 April, 1914. =COLLINS, CHARLES JAMES=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 1175), 194403, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COLLINS, CHRISTOPHER=, Able Seaman, No. 4727, R.N.R., 3rd and yst. _s._ of Christopher Collins, of 5, Ulster Lane, Drogheda, Sailor, by his wife, Mary; _b._ Drogheda, 27 May, 1886; educ. Christian Brothers’ School there; joined the Navy in 1906, and was lost in the North Sea, when H.M.S. Cressy was torpedoed, 22 Sept. 1914; _unm._ [Illustration: =Christopher Collins.=] =COLLINS, DAVID=, P.O., 1st Class, 208619, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COLLINS, EDWARD=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 3932), S.S. 101811, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COLLINS, EDWARD WILLIAM ELGER=, Private, No. 7077, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards; _b._ co. Sussex; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action 25 Oct. 1914; _unm._ =COLLINS, ERNEST GEORGE STEPHEN=, Gunner, R.M.A., 11488, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COLLINS, HARRY=, Sqdn. Sergt.-Major, No. 2358, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (R.C.), Canadian Expeditionary Force, only _s._ of the late John Collins, Staff-Sergt., Royal Marine Artillery (who saw service in New Zealand war, and was champion shot of the British Army in 1877), by his wife, Clara Ann (14, St. Philip’s Terrace, Gratton Road, Cheltenham), dau. of William Minnell, of Fratton, Portsmouth; _b._ Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth, 22 April, 1877; educ. Amersham (Bucks) Commercial School; enlisted in the 3rd Dragoon Guards, July, 1896, and served 12 years. He was through the South African War (medal with two clasps), 1900–2, and after retiring, emigrated to Canada in