Arthur "Dick" Collins
Royal Air Force 78 Squadron
from:Knockholt
Arthur Collins was born in 1921 in Beckenham, Kent. He left his home in Knockholt Kent at 15 years old and joined the Army with the 4th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment as a private and in 1938 he won the battalion's Rifle championship at only17 years of age!
By 1939 he got tired of the army, wishing to fly, so joined the RAF close to his home at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent. Originally, he was an aircraft engine fitter but was quickly recognised as suitable for aircrew training. He was sent by ship to Canada and trained as aircrew with the Royal Canadian Air Force at 31 ANS Port Albert flying Avro Ansons, transport aircraft. His flying career as a navigator started 9th of July 1942. Upon return to the UK and whilst based at RAF St Athan near Cardiff, South Wales he met Doreen Heslop, who was serving in the Women's Royal Air Force and they got married at St Sampsons Church, Grangetown, Cardiff, South Wales.
After he finished flying Ansons he transferred to Bomber Command and his first flight on bomber aircraft was on 16th June 1943 on Wellingtons with 20 OTU and the course continued through to 25th July 1943.
From 2nd until 23rd September 1943 he was with a HCU flying in Halifax bombers for the first time. He then joined 78 Squadron at RAF Breighton, Yorkshire. On 11 November 1943 he had his first flight in Halifax K.HR74 Then on he crewed 24 flights in Halifax aircraft over Germany. These included operations to:
- Leipzig on 3rd December 1943 in O-LW330,
- Frisian Islands, mine laying on 20th January 1944 in G-LW342,
- Berlin on 20th January 1944 in K-LW288,
- Berlin on 15th February 1944 in O-LV794
Finally, on the night of the 25th/26th February whilst returning to RAF Breighton from Augsburg Southern Germany his Halifax E-YO aircraft was shot down by a JU88. Sadly, most of the crew, including the pilot were killed but Arthur was blown out of the aircraft but survived and was taken Prisoner of War being moved finally to Poland.
On 7th June of Arthur's son and two grandsons attended his former 78 Squadron reunion at RAF Breighton Yorkshire being the airfield from which he left in his Handley Page Halifax LV794 E-YO bomber for Augsburg south Germany on the 24th/25th of February 1944 which he failed to return. On that fateful final flight on 25th February 1944 returning from bombing the MAN diesel factory in Augsburg Germany his aircraft was shot at by a JU88 night fighter and the aircraft caught fire and exploded. The Luftwaffe pilot Maj. Gunther Radusch engaged the Halifax at a height of 6,500 mtrs. at 00.20 hrs. over the village of Fischbach bei Dahn, Rheinland-Pfalzer in southern Germany. At the date the aircraft went missing, Arthur had logged up 300.75 hours flying time. Arthur was blown out of the aircraft but luckily regained his senses just 300 metres before he hit the ground he pulled his parachute cord and landed in a fir tree. The rear gunner who also survived, cut him down from his parachute which was stuck in the fir tree. Arthur's leg was very badly injured with bullet holes and shrapnel and was pulled to a roadside at the edge of the village of Fischbach bei Dahn and left until a farmer picked him up in the morning.
He was taken to a convent hospital and the doctors fixed him up exceptionally well. The German pilot that shot him down came to visit him in hospital a few days later expressing his regrets at killing some of Arthur' crew and spoke in perfect English as he had spent 4 years at Oxford University in England before the war. He left Arthur a supply of cigarettes and chocolates. When he was fully recovered he was transferred to POW camp in Poland.
As injured aircrew were not sent home in World War 2 by the Germans, Arthur managed to procure a Polish corporal's uniform and escaped to Switzerland. The Swiss Red Cross managed to get him on board a hospital ship, Arundle Castle in Marseilles and he returned to the Liverpool in February 1945.
After the war in early 1946 he was initially stationed at RAF Swanton Morley Norfolk for retraing on Whitleys, then RAF Driffield Yorkshire. In early 1950 he was posted to RAF Waddington Lincolnshire flying Avro Lincolns. In 1953 he was posted to RAF Marham Norfolk flying B29 Washingtons. In 1955 he was sent for 6 months to RAAF Toowoomba Australia with the B29 on Atom bomb trials. Upon return was posted to RAF Waterbeach, Cambridge,then in 1957 to RAF Watton Norfolk followed by RAF Tangmere Chichester.
Then Arthur rejoined his wartime 78 squadron again in 1959 for 3 years at RAF Khormaksar, Aden flying Twin Pioneers. He returned to the UK at RAF Northolt with Met Comm Squadron on both Devons and Pembrokes flying VIPs including Prime Minister Harold Wilson. In 1964 he was posted to RAF Wildenrath Germany for 4 years returning back to RAF Northolt and ceased flying in 1973. He continued with the RAF at RAF Northollt with Air Traffic Control and in his final years in the RAF with Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (AIDU) until retirement at RAF Northolt in 1979.
During his 40 year career with Bomber/Strike, Transport, Met Comm squadrons he flew in 15 different types of aircraft including Ansons, Wellington, Whitleys, Halifax, Hastings, Lincolns, B29 Washington Superfort, Twin Pioneers, Pembrokes and Devons.
Shortly before his death in Dorchester Devon in August 2000 Arthur was reunited with one of his former aircraft a De havilland Devon at Compton Abbas airfield near Shaftsbury Devon which he flew in the 1960s from RAF Northolt and RAF Wildenrath Germany. It was Prince Philip's personal aircraft which His Royal Highness flew it 67 times whilst it was originally part of the Queen's Flight. His son Roger bought this aircraft in 1996 and has been restored and is still flying today. It was used as a fly past at Arthur's military funeral on Portland Dorset in August 2000. Arthur's ashes are buried in Knockholt churchyard in the village of his childhood and reunited with Doreen his wife of over 50 years.
