Reginald Stephen Collis was born July 25, 1916 to Reginald Collis Sr. and Jessie Collis, in Chester, England, but he lived in Canada for most of his life. He had two siblings, Raymond and Naomi. His father had participated in World War 1, and was a well known pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He moved from England when he was young, settling in Ottawa, Ontario, attending Glebe Collegiate Institute from 1930 to 1933. While there, he played sports like Basketball and Badminton, as he was a tall man at 6 feet 2 inches. He was also a member of Glebe’s swimming team, as well as a talented artist, and was skilled at assembling mechanical parts. 

After a couple years of unemployment after high school, he became an aircraft wing assembler at Canadian Vickers ltd., from 1938 to 1939. On the 26th of April 1939, he joined the Canadian war effort at the rank of Aircraftman 1st Class, becoming an aircraft mechanic on account of his experience in the construction of aircraft components. He travelled to Camp Borden, where he was trained for a few months. While at Camp Borden, he was promoted to the rank of Aircraftman 2nd Class. He was transferred to Trenton from January 20th, 1940 to July 8th of the same year, and while there underwent a medical inspection before leaving for England. Just before he left for London on the 27th of September, Collis applied for a marriage licence so he could be married to his wife, Catherine Campbell Brown. They were officially declared married soon after.

Collis was presumed dead while flying over the Mediterranean on May 23rd, 1941.  He was flying from Gibraltar to an unknown location that he never arrived at, presumably in British-controlled Egypt or North Africa. The aircraft was never found, nor was his body. He was presumed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. You can find his memorial at the Runnymede memorial in Surrey, England on panel 59 of the list of names.

Mr. Collis a en liste a la Force Aérienne Canadien Royale  le 28 mars 1939 en Ottawa. Devant arrive outre-mer le 5 octobre 1940, Reginald était un ingénieur aéronautique, il aidait à construire des moteurs et ailes pour les avions. Collis avait gagné l'étoile de 39-45, l'étoile atlantique pour les pilotes, la médaille de service général et la C.V.S.M. (Canadian Volunteer Service Medal). Il est promu Officier Pilote le 25 avril 1941 avant d'être présumé mourir un mois plus tard, le 23 mai 1941. 

Reginald Collis est porté disparu le 23 mai 1941 dans un mission près de Gibraltar et dans la même jour il est présumé mort. Il n’avait pas un enterrement, mais il avait été placé dans la Mémorial de Runnymede en Surrey, Royaume-Uni. 

Primary Source Documents : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1084777?Reginald%20Stephen%20Collis 

Works Cited

Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 9 March 2019, https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1084777/reginald-stephen-collis/. Accessed 6 November 2023.

WW2 Talk, 9 March 2019, https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/the-air-forces-memorial-runnymede-panels-1-292-for-reference.22631/. Accessed 6 November 2023.

“Collection search.” Government of Canada, 9 March 2019, http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=kia&id=39262&lang=eng. Accessed 6 November 2023.

“Raymond Ernest Collis C24855.” The Typhoon Project, https://www.thetyphoonproject.org/440/Raymond%20Ernest-Collis.html. Accessed 6 November 2023.

“RFC Combat Flying Log | elmgrovepublishing.” Elm Grove Publishing, https://www.elmgrovepublishing.com/rfc-combat-flying-log. Accessed 6 November 2023.

Sources

“Collis, Reginald Stephen.” Collection Search Government of Canada, 17 October 2024, Collection Search Government of Canada. Accessed 18 10 2024.

“Médailles et décorations - Anciens Combattants Canada.” Veterans Affairs Canada, 24 February 2021, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/fr/remembrance/medals-decorations. Accessed 18 October 2024.

“Mémorial virtuel de guerre du Canada (MVGC) - Mémoriaux - Commémoration - Anciens Combattants Canada.” Veterans Affairs Canada, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/fr/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial. Accessed 18 October 2024.

'If we do preserve it, we honour them, and when we in our turn pass on, we will know that behind us lives a generation of free men and of free women to be the keepers of this great heritage of ours - Canada.'

- Ian A. McPhee, former student at GCI, 1937.