Collins, John O.B.E

OT 204 - West

Date of Death: 14/04/2010

Extract from The Gazette 52.

From Hugh Colley OT 149 

John – later he was called Jack, but I always knew him as John – was my “best friend” at Ottershaw and it was a privilege to continue our relationship from those early days throughout our Army and business careers into retirement.

We arrived at Ottershaw before the new West House building was completed. After sharing supper and toye-time with East and North, the West lot would climb into a rickety bus to spend the night at Lyne House. My early memories of John were that he was part of the back-seat gang – no iPods in those days – so we would nightly bounce through the lanes bawling out the latest Guy Mitchell hits. The seniors in front were not best pleased! John was a rounded sportsman. In his last two school years he represented Ottershaw in the 1st XV playing in the 2nd row, the 1st X1 as goalkeeper, and as a key distance swimmer in the successful school team.

It was at rugby that John excelled. He won his colours well ahead of his peers, and John, with Alan Berger and Iain Purves-Hume, dominated the line-out. The School XV had an unbeatable season in 1955 and possession from the lineout was a key contributory factor in our successful tactics. We were Praefects together in West, where an important daily ritual was to have tea, toast and jam (no butter!) in the Praefects’ Common Room. We would crouch round the single-bar electric fire which was perched at a slant on schoolbooks – to enable the toasting! – and discuss the world and our futures. It was during one of these sessions that we decided to try for Sandhurst. We were influenced by two of our seniors who were doing well there, and it seemed a perfect extension of Ottershaw – we could continue to enjoy life – like sneaking up to the pub in the village, having a drag in the sunken garden or sunbathing with the student cooks on the roof.

Entrance to Sandhurst was through a Selection Board and a competitive written examination. John did extremely well by gaining third place in the written exam. From Sandhurst he was commissioned into the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1957 and posted to Lüneburg in Germany. I was nearby at Munsterlager and we often met at the Sunday tea dances in Lüneburg. The young, very tall and handsome British officer was popular with the “Fräuleins”. About this time John took up riding, and I recall passing a lay-by on an Autobahn and spotting him smartly dressed in uniform with boots and spurs ‘supervising’ the repair of a horse box – it was another 20 kms to an exit before I could turn back and have a chat.

John had an outstanding career in the Army. After his initial years as a subaltern in the Staffordshire Regiment, when he was twice posted to Kenya, he volunteered for the Trucial Oman Scouts and spent two years in an exciting desert environment commanding Arab soldiers. He returned from the Middle East to become Adjutant in Dover, and went to Berlin with the Battalion in 1968 before being selected to attend the Naval Staff College in Greenwich. Subsequently as a Company Commander he experienced his first operational tour in Londonderry. Two prestigious appointments followed as a Lieutenant Colonel, first as Chief Instructor at Sandhurst and then as a senior Staff Officer at the Nigerian Staff College.

The highlight of his service in the Army was to return to Londonderry to command the 1st Battalion Staffordshire Regiment on operational duty. His Battalion spent 18 months in this volatile environment during the very difficult period of 1979 to 1981 before returning to the UK and Gibraltar. John’s command period in Northern Ireland was recognised with the award of the OBE and it was reported that ‘he balanced the operational requirements with a strong emphasis on maintaining a normal life for the many families who served there as well’. His OBE was richly deserved.

John retired from the Army in 1988 and joined Lazards, a City bank, in a senior training and development role. He was well respected for his vast experience and organisational skills, which significantly contributed to the bank’s personnel development. I was in the City at the same time, so after thirty years we were able to swop tea and toast and the single-bar electric fire of the West House Praefects’ Common Room for fine lunches at the Honourable Artillery Company and City wine bars.

From those early days at school John was recognised as a person of fine qualities, he was kind and considerate, rarely raised his voice, always had sound advice for his colleagues and was hugely respected by those who worked for him. His
distinguished career and achievements were a great credit to Ottershaw.

John met his wife, Rosemary, at a Regimental wedding in Lichfield in July 1968, and they were married in Crowborough, Sussex, on 23 November that year. They have two daughters, Sarah and Catherine, and four grandchildren. John’s Thanksgiving Service was held at St Peter and St Paul Church, Wadhurst, on Friday 30 April. It was a lovely day and the Church was packed. His family was joined by Staffordshire Regiment comrades, several friends from the Wadhurst Branch of the Royal British Legion with their Parade Standard, Dale Hill Golf Club members and a large representation from the Wadhurst community. Rosemary, Sarah and Catherine led us through a magnificent tribute and commemoration of John’s life. As Rosemary later commented, “John would have enjoyed the company and the singing.” Our thoughts and prayers are for Rosemary, Sarah and Catherine and their families.

 

From Dennis Williams OT 115

As another good friend of John Collins, it behoves me to mention some other aspects of his life. Hugh Colley writes about John’s sporting successes, two of which were in the soccer and rugby teams that I captained. John was a valuable team member, never late for practice, always immaculately presented, and possessing a fierceness on the rugby field which belied his otherwise gentle nature. But best remembered is his company in the West House Praefects’ Common Room. Discussion was always lively, frequently raucous. Opinions differed, some well rehearsed, while others were throwaway thoughtless comments, perhaps adding some humour. John was a quiet, thinking man and usually saved his opinion until last. Rarely was it confrontational, but invariably it made common sense with a touch of humour added. He enjoyed having his leg pulled; he was tall and slender, and Mr Buttery affectionately dubbed him “a pumped-up bootlace”. John loved it.

There is another aspect of Hugh’s piece which struck a chord in me and is worthy of elaboration. During those early School years, when National Service was compulsory for all able-bodied young men, several of us, notably from West House, chose to go to Sandhurst and pursue a professional military career. Of those that did, and I can recall about a dozen, almost all commanded their regiments. It is a remarkable record. John and I were together, briefly, commanding our regiments in Colchester. I remember well John’s cool self-confidence, his patience and the warm relationships he displayed with officers and soldiers alike. It reminded me again of John as a Praefect. Ottershaw taught us well.

But John’s story reveals another aspect of our military lives, that of constant upheaval. Rarely did we remain in one location or appointment for more than two years. Sometimes a move, particularly an operational tour, involved family separation. And whether you were a linguist or not, a posting often involved language instruction. Apart from these challenges, the scope and variety of appointments was vast. It was a wonderful career and a sound test-bed for marriage.

My personal sadnesss, and I suspect that of many, was the inevitable necessity of sending children to boarding school to achieve a sound and progressive education. John experienced all of these challenges in good measure. John was a dedicated soldier and a very good, Christian man.