Current Information:

Age-20

22, Canonbury Avenue, Canonbury

Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, France

From 27th September to 5th October, 1917, the 21st Middlesex battalion of 121 Brigade, 40th Division were holding the front line in the Gauche Wood sector of the front line near Villers-Guislain, south of Cambrai. The enemy always seemed to know when an inter-battalion relief was taking place in the front line opposite them and then did as much as they could to disrupt it. This meant targeting the approach communication trenches with their artillery and keeping up a high level of machine-gun and rifle fire. Reliefs therefore were times of extra danger and many a soldier was killed or wounded during them. This was likely to have been the fate of Thomas Collins, who died on 5th October the day 21st Middlesex were relieved.