James Oughterson Collingwood

Born in 1917, he was commissioned in 1937 and joined the 1st Battalion DLI in China in 1938. After signals training, he was posted to 15 DLI, a newly formed battalion, but when this unit converted to tanks, he asked for a transfer back to the infantry.

He was posted to 8 DLI in April 1944 and fought in Normandy from D-Day to 19 August 1944. On that day, during an attack south of Mount Pincon, he took command of "C" Company, when the commander was killed, until he himself was wounded. He later served, as a Major, with the 1 DLI in Korea before finally retiring in 1959.

A keen polo player, he organised the famous match between 1 & 2 DLI at Toulston in 1955 (2 DLI won).

James Collingwood died in October 2002, aged 85.