MOOSE JAW — Matthew Collins and his brother George both fought during the First World War and have been honoured with banners downtown, joining other brothers Donald, Edward, Emmett and Leo, who were added last year.
This story features the biographies of Matthew and George, with information taken from the City of Moose Jaw website.
This is part 3 of 8 in a series.
Matthew Samuel Collins
Matthew Samuel Collins (March 23, 1890 to Dec. 31, 1976) was the fifth of eight sons and one daughter born to Matthew George Collins and Margaret Ann (McNeil) Collins.
Matthew Samuel served in the First World War with his brothers George, Emmett, and Edward; brothers Leo and Donald served in the Second World War. Five brothers lived at one time in Moose Jaw, where Matthew and Ed had an electrical company before their enlistment.
Matthew served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the Canadian Railway Construction Corps from 1915-19 in Canada, Britain and France, attaining the rank of lance corporal. He received the King George Medal for Meritorious Conduct in the Battle of St. Pol, the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Matthew attended St. Boniface College from 1903-07. He was a talented athlete, catching baseball for his brother, Leo, at a major league calibre, and they were considered one of the top batteries in Saskatchewan. Matthew also played hockey and soccer.
On Aug. 26, 1925, Matthew married Anne Mae McNeil (born Nov. 6, 1906, in Cape Breton, N.S., died Mar. 9, 1961). They raised 11 children, including eight sons and three daughters.
Matthew was an inspector for the Saskatchewan Liquor Board, then became a sales representative for the Canada Life Assurance Company. An active member of Holy Rosary Cathedral parish in Regina, Matthew served as chair of the Regina Separate School Board, was a 4th-degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the 3rd order of St. Francis.
George Donald Collins
As the First World War raged on and desperate for recruits, in the fall of 1915, George Donald Collins was accepted by the Canadian Expeditionary Force despite health concerns.
As the second oldest of nine children — eight of them boys — he was anxious to join two of his brothers by doing his duty and signed up on Nov. 19, 1915. His attestation papers mention he suffered from lumbar tuberculosis but “should be fit to do telegraph work.”
Unfortunately, the overseas trip resulted in him immediately being admitted to hospital upon landing in Britain, first in Shorncliffe and then Bramshott. In April 1917, he was considered permanently unfit and was sent to Winnipeg to convalesce.
George never recovered and never saw active service during his enlistment, and despite his illness and pain, George was determined to fight alongside his brothers and comrades and willing to give his life for his country. He later earned the British War Medal.
George died on July 23, 1919, at age 34. He never married and had no children. He is buried in the family plot in Broadview, Sask.
We will remember him.
