Walter James Collier

A correspondent tipped me off that the attached photo of Walter James Collier was for sale on e-bay:

Walter's name was on the back of the photo which led him to my website:

"WALTER JAMES COLLIER
b. 9 JUNE 1864. d 10 FEB 1942 (78)"

Someone else had bid for it presumably because Walter is shown wearing his Egyptian Campaign medals.

The photo was well-known to Chris and I. A very large enlargement of the photo was put up in Len Collier's workshop. Also it was one of the photos on the wall of Colin Jeffrey's dining room:

The photo was sold by a firm in Ipswich, which makes you wonder if it was owned by Colin Jeffrey until recently. It is certainly a coincidence the photo being on sale after Colin's bungalow was cleared.

Whoever wrote Walter's name and birth and death details on the back of the card must surely have benn a member of the Collier Family. How else would they have known the details.

Wrong DOB

Unfortuinately they got the year of birth as 1864 whereas Walter was born and bp in 1862 (birth registered in the July-Sept 1862 Register and Walter was bp 29 June 1862 in Gillingham, Kent).

Walter gave his birth as 9 June 1862 in the 1939 Register of England and Wales.

It is not unknown for a member of a family to know someone's birthday but get the year wrong.

Wrong Date on Death

Unfortunately the age on the back of the photo/card is also wrong.

As Walter was born 9 June 1862 and died 10 Feb 1942 his age when he died was 79.

In fairness, the death was registered as Jan 1942 Edmonton in the Jan-March 1942 Register giving the Birth Date as abt 1864 and the Age 78.

The person who wrote the details on the back of the photo/card would have relied on the information given when the death was registered.

Colin Bower
30 June 2025.