Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | November 4, 1890 |
Place of Birth | London |
Country | England |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Mother: Sarah Collings, Keewatin, Ontario |
Trade / Calling | Auto body builder |
Religion | Church of England |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 199074 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 28th Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Keewatin, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | March 6, 1916 |
Age at Enlistment | 25 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Decorations and Medals | Military Medal |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | October 22, 1958 |
Age at Death | 68 |
Buried At | Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario |
Plot | 36E-22-3 |
Walter Frederick Collings was born on 04 November 1890 in London, England. His parents were William Collings (a foreman in mineral water works) and Ann Sarah Bennett. Siblings included William (born 1878), John (born 1876), Edward (born 1886) and Charles (born c. 1889).
Walter’s father, William, had died by 1901 and the family was living in Bermondsey, London, England. His brother, Edward who married Laura Hewett in 1905, immigrated to Keewatin, Ontario, Canada in March of 1908. Walter and his mother followed him in June of 1911. In England Walter had worked as an ‘auto body builder’ or a ‘coach maker’. In Keewatin he got employment at the Lake of the Woods Milling Company.
Walter enlisted with the 94th Battalion in near by Kenora, Ontario on 06 March 1916. After a short time in Port Arthur, the battalion embarked from Halifax on 28 June 1916. When they arrived in England Walter was transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion until being assigned to the 28th Battalion on 24 August 1916. He served with the 28th Battalion in France and Belgium for twenty-five months. During that time he was awarded a Military Medal. His citation card states ‘For great courage and devotion to duty at Thelus on April 9, 1917. He was employed as a stretcher bearer and performed his duties in a most devoted manner. Notwithstanding heavy enemy fire he continued to tend the wounded regardless of danger and was instrumental in saving many lives.‘ In October of 1918 Walter fractured his patella in his left leg in a ‘football accident’. He spent almost three months in hospital for treatment and healing. Walter returned to Canada in March of 1919 and received his official discharge April 1st in Winnipeg.
Walter returned to Keewatin and his job at the flour mill. He worked there for forty-five years retiring in 1956 as a shipper foreman. On 28 June 1921 in Winnipeg, he married Emma Beatrice Green. He was a member of Minnetonka Lodge No. 292, Keewatin and the Keewatin Legion.
Walter died on 22 October 1958 in the Kenora General Hospital. He is buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora in the same plot as his mother Anne Sarah Collings and her sister Emily Rachel Green. His wife Emma later died in 1970.
Walter is commemorated on the Town of Keewatin Plaque and the Lake of the Woods Milling Company Roll of Honour; both formerly found in the Keewatin Legion.