Charles Edward-Collins
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Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Charles Edward Edward-Collins (28 May 1881 – 21 November 1967) was a British Indian Army officer.


Early life and marriage

Edward-Collins was born in Bodmin, Cornwall, the son of Edward Charles Edward-Collins, a local landowner, and his wife, Eleanor Mary (née Alms). His younger brother was Frederick Edward-Collins, who became an admiral in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. He was educated at Marlborough College and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
. In 1907, Edward-Collins married Nora Mabel de la Cour Corbett. They had two sons and three daughters. She died in 1952.


Career

Edward-Collins was commissioned a second lieutenant in the
North Staffordshire Regiment The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battalio ...
in late February 1900, but the appointment was cancelled, and he was instead appointed to the
Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
early the following month. He served in the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
from 1900 to 1902 and was promoted to lieutenant in November 1901. In January 1907, he was seconded to the Indian Army's Supply and Transport Corps (later the
Indian Army Service Corps The Indian Army Service Corps (IASC) is a corps and an arm of the Indian Army which handles its logistic support function. It is the oldest and the largest administrative service in the Indian Army. While the history of supply and transport serv ...
), and transferred permanently in October 1909. He served in the Abor Expedition (against the residents of the Abor Hills) in 1911 to 1912, for which he was mentioned in despatches and promoted to brevet major in June 1912. He was promoted substantive major in February 1915 and served with the Bushire Field Force in
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
in 1918 to 1919, for which he was again mentioned in despatches and appointed
Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...
(CIE) in January 1920. In November 1923, he was appointed an assistant director of transport at the Headquarters,
Army in India The Army of India between 1903 and 1947 consisted of the ''British Indian Army'' and the ''British Army in India''. Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief of India between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale reforms of the milita ...
, in which post he served until March 1926. He was promoted brevet
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
in June 1924. He then served as commandant of the Indian Army Service Corps Training Establishment until May 1930 and in May 1930 was promoted
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
. He served as deputy director of transport at the Headquarters, Army in India until September 1933, when he was appointed deputy director of supplies and transport for the Army in India, serving in the post (with the temporary rank of
brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
) until September 1937. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the King in September 1935, holding the position until September 1937, and Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1937 Coronation Honours of King George VI. He was promoted
major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in September 1937, retired from the Indian Army in September 1940 and returned to his ancestral home at Trewardale, near
Blisland Blisland ( kw, Blyslann) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is approximately five miles northeast of Bodmin. According to the UK census 2001, 2001 census, the parish had a populatio ...
. He commanded the North Cornwall Group of the
Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...
from 1942 to 1945 and served as High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1955.


Footnotes


Bibliography

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External links


Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward-Collins, Charles 1881 births 1967 deaths North Staffordshire Regiment officers British Indian Army generals Military personnel from Cornwall British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Home Guard officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Devonshire Regiment officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst High Sheriffs of Cornwall Indian Army generals of World War II Indian Army personnel of World War I People educated at Marlborough College People from Bodmin