Private Thomas Hugh Collins

Thomas Hugh Collins was born January 15, 1895 at 89 Lavender Sweep in Battersea to John Alford Collins, a warehouse keeper. John Alford Collins, father of Thomas Hugh was born in 1863 at Great Kimble in Buckinghamshire, married in 1887 to Alice Collins at St Georges in Hanover Square in London. Alice, who was born in December 1861 at Codford, St Peter in Wiltshire but she died in 1892.

According to the 1911 Census, Thomas Hugh Collins was a boy clerk in the Civil service. He had an older brother Frederick William aged 22 who was employed as a clerk at the Port of London Authority and a sister, Ethel Mary aged 21 years who was employed as a teacher by Lambeth County Council. His father John who was now aged 47 had married his second wife Ethel Minnie Collins aged 29 years. The couple had another daughter Lilia May Collins age 4 years.
School records reveal that Thomas Hugh attended the Infants school before progressing up to the Junior/senior section of Bellville Road School at the age of 9 years. He left school at the age of 14 years to become a boy clerk in the Civil Service.

Thomas Hugh enlisted in the Cyclists Battalion on the 26th May 1917; a description of their services to WW1 is shown below. Thomas Hugh died of pneumonia at home in Putney on the 8th March 1919. His personal effects were released to his father John Alford Collins of £29 12s 2d, this included his war gratuity of £24.

The Cyclists Battalion TF
When the TF was created in April 1908, three of the four Cyclist battalions were established. The Fourth was not created until 1913. In addition to these certain infantry regiments were also created TF cyclist battalions. And all of these were in addition to the army Cyclist Corps.
The Role http:/www.1914-1918.net/armycyclistscorps.html
The primary role of these cyclists were reconnaissance and communications (message taking). They were armed as infantry and could provide mobile power if required. Those units that went overseas continued in these roles but also ( one of the mobile phase of war had settled down into entrenched warfare) spent much time in trench-holding duties and on manual work
Records
War diaries exist for most of the cyclist units and are held in the national Archives. There is no published regimental history and no regimental museum
Personnel

Men being enlisted for the duration of the war could now be appointed to the new Corps. Pay was to be the same as that of the infantry. Proficiency pay would be given to men who qualified as a proficient cyclist and who had the necessary physical endurance, as defined in Army 0rder 438 of 1914 Teritorial Force Cyclist Battalions.