Full Circle to War by Charles Page
Flying Officer George Collins was killed in action at the age of 19. Yet in his adventurous short life, he had circled the globe, joined the RAAF, trained as a navigator, and flown his first operation over Germany. George Barrowby Collins was born on 28 February 1925 in Stocktonon-Tees, County Durham, England. He did well at school and at the age of 15, along with hundreds of children between ages 5 and 15, he was nominated by his relatives in Australia to evacuate war-torn England. The Children’s Overseas Reception Board (CORB) requisitioned the 14,000 ton Polish liner HMT Batory and after several delays due to air raids, the ship sailed from heavily bombed Liverpool on 4 August 1940, with 477 children and 38 escorts. George was given numbered disc 436, which he had to wear at all times. There were also 800 troops on board. Despite wartime secrecy, the Batory was given a rousing dockside farewell. The Batory was one of 27 ships in the largest convoy to leave Liverpool, and after rounding the north coast of Ireland, she left the main convoy and headed south with Convoy WS2 (Winston’s Specials) and a naval escort. The ships evaded the U boats in the Atlantic, unlike the City of Benares which was torpedoed just a few weeks later, with many children
lost. Oblivious to any danger, the Batory children attended lessons, ran a newsletter, joined the Scout or Guide troop, and enjoyed the Crossing the Equator ceremony. One of the escorts, Meta Maclean, was a pianist and wrote songs for the children, and almost every day the children gathered for a singsong, which could be heard across the waves by other convoy ships. After arriving in Capetown, the Governor General of South Africa, Field Marshal Jan Smuts, hosted a party for the children at Government House. The ship continued its marathon voyage, calling in to Bombay, Colombo, and Singapore, where Army troops disembarked. Unfortunately, during the voyage, George had a fall and was left with a loose right kneecap. The Batory was already known as the ‘Lucky Ship’ but was soon immortalised as ‘The Singing Ship’ which became the title of the book by
H i sto r y
Meta Maclean. The Batory arrived in Fremantle on 9 October 1940, where George was met by his Aunt Beatrice, and Uncle George, who was to be his guardian. The young George soon found work at Boans department store, and then in Midland Junction as junior clerk at West Australian Government Railways. He was an outgoing type with a good sense of humour. With an eye to the sky, George joined 75 Squadron Air Training Corps, Perth in September 1942, and on reaching 18, enlisted in the RAAF on 22 May 1943. He was posted to No.5 Initial Training School, Clontarf, and progressed to No.2 Air Observers School, Mt Gambier, and then No.2 Bombing and Gunnery School at Port Pirie. George was awarded his navigator’s brevet on 2 February 1944. On 5 March 1944, he embarked at Sydney, bound for the UK. The ship docked in San Francisco, where George was billeted at Fort McDowell. There was time for sightseeing before travelling by train to New York, where he stayed at Fort Slocum and enjoyed his leave amongst the skyscrapers. George then crossed the Atlantic on the HMT Queen Mary, which steamed unescorted at 27 knots and took only 6 days to reach Gourock, Scotland. George disembarked on 17 April 1944, having circled the world. Like most new RAAF arrivals, George was sent to 11 Personnel Despatch & Reception Centre at Brighton, with seafront accommodation at the Metropole Hotel. George was given leave, and as well as sightseeing in London, was able to see his family
Mosquito B Mk XVI. World War Photos.
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