Local History


Collins seems to have mended his ways, perhaps even taking the pledge not to drink.


everyone a decade older and even more children. There was Daniel Collins aged 49 general labourer, his wife Mary Collins aged 42, and their children Catherine aged 22 ironer in laundry, William


bedroom .. partitioned...”


aged 18 machine minder in wool combing factory, Francis aged 16, Albert aged 14 golf club caddy, Lottie aged 13, Ernest aged 12, Leonard aged 10, Ellen aged 8, Richard aged 6, Ann aged 4 and Edward aged 10 months. One wonders how a family of thirteen coped in a small Bedford Cottage. Typically the parents slept with small children in the back bedroom and the larger


On the town war memorial to the 120 men killed during the First World War is the name E. F. Collins.


front bedroom would be partitioned to sleep boys and girls separately with some decorum. Beds would have been of the roll-up type to give space at other times. Grooves in the woodwork of the bedroom window frame


“..front The 1911 census shows


can often be seen where the partition divided the front bedroom window. The last decade of the nineteenth century was not a good time to be born as the First World War was looming. Perhaps some of Daniel and Mary Jane’s children were caught up in this conflict. Sadly yes, there on the town war memorial to the 120 men killed during the First World War is the name E. F. Collins. Thanks to Alex Mettler and Gerry Woodcock’s fascinating book We Will Remember Them I learnt that Ernest Frederick Collins was a private in the London Regiment. He was eighteen years old and was killed by a shell on Sunday 2nd June 1918 while serving with his unit on the Somme. On the 14th June 1918 the Tavistock Gazette contained the one sentence report that ‘News has been received by Mrs. Collins, 22 West Bridge Cottages that her son, Private E. Collins of the London Regiment was killed in


France on the 3rd (sic) inst’. A week later, with the date corrected there appeared a notice ‘In loving memory of our dear son and brother Private Ernest Collins of the 1/19 London Regiment, who was killed by a shell in France’. It was signed by his parents, sisters and brothers. There is also a short poem in his memory written by his sister Lottie. There we have it: railways, drink and domestic violence, model workers’ cottages, large family, and WW1 tragedy. So will the story of Daniel Collins and his family be of sufficient interest to the viewers? The odds are against it. The family histories of many more celebrities are researched than actually appear in the series of programmes. And who do you think the celebrity is? This information was not divulged by the programme makers on the grounds of confidentiality, so I do not know, but like you, I can make a guess.


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