Reginald Collins

Reginald Collins – Swansea‑Born Victim of the East Ham Air Raids

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Collins family were living at 11 Kemble Street, Brynmill, Swansea. Surrey‑born Charles Collins, aged 37, worked as a Gas Fitter, while his wife Eliza, also from Surrey, was 38. Their children—Dorothy (12), Reginald (8), Ivor (7), and Lilian (6)—were all at home. Charles’s parents, Frederick (64) and Charlotte Collins (68), were also living with the family, having moved from Surrey to Swansea.

1921 Census

A decade later, the 1921 Census shows the family still residing at 11 Kemble Street. Charles, now 47, was employed as a Supervisor in the Fittings Department of the Gas Works, and Eliza, aged 48, continued to manage the household. Their eldest son, Reginald Leslie (19), was working for the G.P.O. as a Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist, while Ivor Alexander (17) was an Apprentice Bootmaker with A. J. Davies. Lilian Gertrude (16) remained at home, and the youngest daughter, Kathleen Frances Eugenie (9), was still in school. Charles’s parents, now Frederick James (74) and Charlotte (79), were still living with them, and a visitor, Lilian Frances (38), was present on census night.

Reginald’s Move to London

1939 Register

In 1922, Reginald left Swansea for London to continue his career with the G.P.O. He married Doris L. Burroughs in 1923 at West Ham, Essex. By the time of the 1939 Register, Reginald and Doris were living at 14 School Road, East Ham, Essex, where Reginald worked as a Post Office Sorter and Doris undertook household duties.

Death During the East Ham Air Raids – 20^th April 1941

Herald of Wales

The Herald of Wales reported in May 1941 that Reginald and his wife Doris were killed due to enemy action. They died at their home, 14 School Road, on 20^th April 1941, during one of the destructive air raids that struck East London in the spring of 1941.

The attack on 20^th April 1941 formed part of a renewed phase of Luftwaffe bombing directed at East London, including East Ham, West Ham, and the wider borough of Newham. By this stage of the Blitz, German bombers were increasingly targeting densely populated residential districts, as well as key infrastructure such as railway lines, gasworks, and postal facilities.

East Ham lay directly beneath the flight paths used by bombers approaching London from the Thames Estuary. The distinctive curve of the river made navigation straightforward, allowing aircraft to strike deep into the suburbs even at night. As a result, areas like School Road were highly vulnerable despite being far from central London.

During the raid, high‑explosive bombs fell across residential streets, including the area around School Road. Houses in this district were typical Victorian and Edwardian terraces—solidly built but unable to withstand the immense blast force of large bombs. The attack caused severe structural damage to homes, fires triggered by ruptured gas mains and incendiaries, casualties among families sheltering in their houses, and disruption to local transport and postal services.

Although the raid of 20^th April 1941 is not as widely documented as the major Blitz attacks of 1940, surviving bomb‑damage records confirm that East Ham suffered significant destruction throughout April 1941, with multiple civilian deaths across the borough. The pattern of damage shows that the area endured repeated and intense bombardment during this period.

Reginald and Doris were among those killed in their own home—a tragic reminder that many Blitz casualties occurred not in workplaces or public buildings, but in the supposed safety of familiar domestic surroundings