Gerald James Collins
Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial
Regiment: Royal Navy
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Shipwright 3rd Class D/MX 64134
Parents: James and Florence Collins
Marital status: Married
Home address: St John's Street, Hawkesbury Upton
Date of birth: 13/01/1920
Place of birth: Devonport Plymouth
Date of death: 20/03/1945
Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea. Commemorated at Plymouth Naval Memorial. Not commemorated on a local memorial
Age: 25
Further information:
Gerald was born in Devonport Plymouth, the son and only child of a shipyard boilermaker. He married Geraldine Mary Carew in Sodbury in late Spring of 1944 and was killed less than a year later.
Gerald's Regiment was: H.M.L.S.T. (Tank Landing Ship) 80 Royal Navy. Rank and Number: Shipwright 3rd Class D/MX 64134.
Gerald’s role as a shipwright, meant that he had responsibility for the stability of the ship and for damage control during conflicts. His ship, HMLS Tank Landing Ship 80, participated in the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and operated a shuttle service between London, Ostend and Antwerp. On the day of his death, Gerald's ship struck two mines while in convoy ATM97 off Ostend, Belgium and sank. Gerald died along with three others and was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches in "The London Gazette" of 11th June 1945, along with Acting Temporary Lieutenant Commander Frank Smith "for courage, tenacity and devotion to duty in an attempt to save their ship after it had struck a mine and in the rescue of survivors."
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?906