Born: 5/2/1930 Devonport, Plymouth, Devon
Died: 1992 Exmouth, Devon
Derek was born and spent his early years in Devonport. He was an only child and his father James Sidney COLLIER supported the family through his mother’s ill health. During the Blitz of Plymouth in the Second World War, Derek was sent away to Old Windsor for his own protection. The war had a severe affect on the wider family, separating members and causing them to lose contact to some extent.
In May 1948 Derek joined the Royal Air Force, having worked as a shipyard labourer, presumably in Devonport. After his national service period of 2 years, he left the force ranked AC1. He quickly discovered that he wasn’t sure what to do in the civilian world and decided to re-join. In the break he had been working as a salesman with Hole’s Radio in Exmouth. The shop was owned by the father of his wife to be Ena Winifred HOLE (born 4/5/1930 Sowton, Exeter, died 1985 Exmouth, Devon).
Derek and Ena met at the popular entertainment venue The Pavillion in Exmouth. She was working as a demonstrator for English Electric at the time in Barnstable. She turned to her friend and said ‘I’m going to marry him!’ referring to Derek. Indeed she did. After he re-joined the RAF in January 1952, they got married in Exmouth in April.
He continued in the RAF as a electro-mechanical engineer until January 1957. Ena also did her national service with the RAF from 1948 to 1950, working as a clerk in Whitehall, London among other places. Derek’s service took him as far as Egypt and he was involved in the Berlin airlift.
After being transferred to the reserve list, Derek continued working in the civilian world, including as an insurance salesman and helping out at Hole’s Radio. In 1961 they had their first child, Helen. They bought a large house in Exmouth. Helen, however, spent a fair bit of her early years with Ena’s sister Nora at Clyst St Mary, Devon. This was because Ena had Crohn’s disease – a debilitating bowel disease – which meant she was ill frequently.
Ena died in 1985. The day before her death, she was having a coffee morning with Nora and their mother Winifred Hole (nee Humphries). Ena collapsed in pain and was taken to Exmouth Hospital where she later died. Helen had not long moved to Germany with her new husband and had to rush back for the funeral.
Derek moved to a flat in Exmouth and lived there alone until he died just before Christmas 1992.