Fred Collingwood
Fred was just 18 years old and newly married when he took part in the D-Day landings. As a Lance Corporal in the 7th Battalion Black Watch, Fred embarked at Newhaven on 9th June and landed early in the morning the following day.
Fred’s ship carried two battalions of men across the Channel. Once in sight of Sword Beach, they transferred to landing craft, which took them to the shore. He remembers jumping into water that was about waist deep, so they were able to keep their equipment dry. Each man was carrying about 90lbs of equipment.
“I was a Rifleman when I started up the beach but ahead of me a Bren Gunner couldn’t manage his load, so I took over the Bren and that’s how I became a Bren Gunner instead.”
Fred’s brigade and division were attached to the Canadian 30 Corps and over the next few weeks they advanced to the German front line. On July 17th, at around 8.00pm, Fred was part of a push towards the German front, now less than a mile away.
“All around us there were 25 pounders, machine gun fire and mortars flying. A mortar hit me on my left side. I felt no pain from the injury but I was blind as a bat. I lost both my eyes and my nose.”
After a short period in a field hospital, Fred was flown back to England and taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Swindon. Following reconstructive surgery on his nose, Fred spent nearly a year at Stoke Mandeville Hospital where St Dunstan’s had three wards. While he was there, he learnt Braille and typewriting.
Fred decided his future lay as a physiotherapist and, in January 1946, he joined
St Dunstan’s for his training. Many of the St Dunstaners at that time were young men in their 20s and as well as the training, they enjoyed their own canteen, dance hall and band. Three years later, his training complete, Fred joined the hospital at Burton-on-Trent. He soon moved up to Stoke, where he remained with the hospital as a physiotherapist for 35 years, until his retirement.
Fred celebrated his diamond wedding anniversary in 2004 and, despite losing his sight, has lived an active independent life. As well as a successful career as a physiotherapist, Fred is a keen gardener and fisherman. He enjoys fishing on the beach at Ovingdean, near Brighton, when he visits the St Dunstan’s centre for holidays and reunions.
“Being a St Dunstaner is like having a second family. As physiotherapists, we had a get-together every year so I’m still in contact with some of the physios I trained with.”
St Dunstan’s has played an important part in Fred’s life in another way too. For many years Fred and his wife have lived in a house owned by St Dunstan’s, who take responsibility for maintaining the property and making adaptations as they are needed.
“We rent it from St Dunstan’s at a subsidised rate. You can consider that when we first got wounded most of us were too young ever to have got a mortgage. I suppose that one of our rewards for what happened to us was to get help with accommodation. St Dunstan’s has been a very good landlord.”
And though Fred is not quite as active at the age of 83 as he was, he is still fond of the crafts he learned many years ago at St Dunstan’s. His picture framing and cane weaving skills are still in use today.
A growing number of ex-Service men and women are desperate for support: more World War Two veterans are losing their sight and more young British soldiers are at risk of returning home blind.
The reality is that we cannot meet this growing demand without you by our side. Please help us give more blind heroes an independent future. Please support
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