109 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND COLLIS, John Albert John was born October 14, 1915 in Lowville, Ontario. Prior to the war, he had enlisted in the militia at age fourteen with the Lorne Scots Regiment and on September 8, 1939, he enlisted for active service in Brampton. For his work in organizing training schools across Canada he was awarded the Efficiency Medal in 1942, and a bar in May 1944. Sergeant John “Jumbo” Albert Collis was killed in action on July 25, 1944 near Caen, France. Surviving family: a daughter Joan Yvonne, from his first wife who had passed away before his enlistment, his second wife Dorothy Ruby, and their son John Neill. Initially he was buried in a temporary grave near St. Martin de Fontenay, France, south of Caen. The family was advised in August 1947 that his remains had been exhumed and interred in a permanent location in Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, France. In late 2018 further remains were found and identified as belonging to Sergeant Collins through DNA and some personal items. Members of his family were invited by DND to attend the burial of those remains in a ceremony as part of the D-Day 75th Remembrance activities in June 2019. CONNOR, Francis Francis was born on January 25, 1912 in York, Ontario. His father, James, was killed in action in Belgium during World War I when Francis was four years old. Francis enlisted in the Army in August 1940 and served with the Dufferin & Haldimand Rifles and transferred to Royal Regiment of Canada. Francis served duringWorldWar II in England, France, and Germany being discharged on January 9, 1946. He received the 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. Francis returned toYork, Ontario and worked at Caledonia Gypsum Plant until he retired. He was a Member of The Royal Canadian Legion Caledonia Branch 154 for thirty years. Francis passed away in 1979. COLVIN, James MacKenzie James was born on September 30, 1914 and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on October 15, 1940. He went to Ontario for training at Dunnville Flying School. He married in Tillsonburg on August 11, 1942, one month before leaving for Europe, where he served with the 408th Squadron. F/O Colvin was a pilot of a Halifax bomber when it went missing during an operation on May 24, 1943 against Dortmund, Germany. He was only 22 years of age.
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