COLLOCOTT, Harold Fitzroy (1883-1955)
Modified on Fri, 12 Aug 2016 08:44 by Con — Categorized as: Biography - All, Biography - Students, Geelong College, Biography of War - World War I
COLLOCOTT, Harold Fitzroy (1883-1955)
Harold Collocott was born in Fiji on 25 June 1883, the son of the Reverend Alfred John Collocott and Alice Jane nee Bickford. At the time of Harold's enrolment the family were living in Echuca, Victoria.
He was enrolled at Geelong College as a boarder in 1897, and played in the 1st Cricket XI for five years, 1897-1901, as well as the 1st Football XVIII for four years, 1898-01. He was at College to at least 1901. In 1897, he gained 1st places in both English and Algebra in the Lower 4th Class. In 1900, he was awarded 2nd place in Algebra in the University Class. While still a College student in 1900, he played one game for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League.
In 1908 in Fiji, he married Maud Leeming, of Footscray.
During World War I he seems to have served as a Private (10518) in the Army Cyclist Corps, which was formed to encompass fourteen existing cyclist battalions, and new cyclist battalions formed (including second line of existing battalions); as first units went overseas, they were broken up as divisional companies serving in something of a reconnaissance role.
He died in South Australia on 12 September 1955.
His brothers, Alfred Bickford Collocott (1882-1958); Ernest Edgar Vyvyan Collocott (1886-1970); Albert James Collocott (1890-1970) and Frank Maldon Colocott (1892-1974) also boarded at Geelong College.
Sources: Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck; p 158 (citing Pegasus).