Collingham & Linton in World War Two

Lived in Collingham or Linton immediately prewar or during the war
(Usually taken from 1938 electoral roll or 1939 National Registration roll)
Named as a Voter on the 1945 or 1946 Service List Electoral Roll for Collingham or Linton

Address in 1939 or 1945/46: Langwith Hill, Collingham
(taken from either the 1939 National Registration or the 1945 and/or 1946 service electoral rolls)

Biography

Family background

The Rawlings family hav a long association with Collingham with George Haynes Rawlings (Snr) moving to the village around 1914. He had two sons who served in World War 2 - George Haynes Rawlings (Jnr) and Allan Ernest Rawlings.

George Haynes Rawlings (Jnr) was born on the 17th October 1908, the elder son of George Haynes Rawlings and his wife, Florence Rawlings (nee Cullen). In 1911, on census day, the family were living at 23 Hartley Grove, Woodhouse in Leeds. George (Snr) was a commercial traveller in the timber business and was aged 29, originally from Rotherham. Florence was aged 30, from Leeds, and the census shows that George (Jnr) and his younger brother, Allan Ernest Rawlings (aged 5 months) had both been born in Leeds.

Unfortunately Florence Rawlings died in 1914 of phthisis (nowadays termed tuberculosis) and was buried in Leeds General Cemetery, leaving George (Snr) with two young children aged just 4 and 6 years old. At some point around this time, the Rawlings family moved to Collingham. George (Snr) seems still to have due for military service in World War 1 and he applied for an exemption which was reported in the Wetherby News. He appears to have been given a temporary exemption, and he was called again to the Wetherby military tribunal later in the war. It is not clear whether he did eventually get a full exemption, but he continued bringing up his sons in Collingham with the aid of his sister-in-law, Laura Cullen, who lived with the family for at least some of the time. The Rawlings family continue to appear on the electoral roll for Collingham in the early 1920s and on the 1921 Collingham census. In 1921 George (snr) was a timber merchant. Throughout the 1920s the Rawlings family appeared on the Collingham electoral roll, and in the early 1930s, when more detail appears in the electoral rolls, they were listed at Santa Rosa, Langwith Avenue, Collingham.

George Haynes Rawlings (Snr) died on the 23rd December 1936 and is buried in Collingham. George (Jnr) and Allan continued living in Collingham.

In 1938, Allan Ernest Rawlings married Phyllis May Blacker and they set up home in Collingham.

THE SOUTH WALES GAZETTE, AUGUST 5, 1938

August Wedding Bells

SIX BELLS NURSE MARRIES SAME MAN TWICE
And Spends Honeymoon on Continent.

HER SECOND WEDDING
A popular Six Bells girl, Nurse Phyllis May Blacker, S.R.N., only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Blacker, of Alexandra Road, Six Bells, was married on Monday and Christ Church, Aberbeeg, for the second time, to Mr. Allan Ernest Rawlings, a Leeds business man, and second son of Mrs. Rawlings, of Collingham Bridge, near Leeds, an the late Mr. George Rawlings.
The couple had previously been married at a Registry Office.
The Rev. T. Madog Williams, Rector of Llanhilleth, conducted the ceremony.
Mr. W. Peune;; was the organist.
The bride looked very charming, and was attired in an underskirt of white satin, with lace edge-to-edge coat and train, finished with beading, and her veil of tulle was held by a coronet of orange blossom. She wore a pearl necklace, the gift of the bridegroom, and carried a beautiful shower bouquet of pink roses.
Her bridesmaids were Nurse Iris Phillips, of Sheffield, Norse May Fry, of London, friends, and Eileen Cook, her cousin. All wore tulle dresses of blue lace net, with posies at the neck and blue sashes, with headdresses of blue tulle, trimmed with pink roses. They had gloves and shoes to match and necklaces of pearls, the gift of the bridegroom. They carried bouquets of pink roses.
A cousin of the bride, Miss Lena Price, prettily dressed in a pink taffeta dress, with net overdress and blue sash, with head-dress of pink tulle and blue flowers, was the flower girl. She carrid a posy of sweet peas. Master Barry Jenkins, who was page boy, was dressed in white satin.
The best man was Mr. George H. Rawlings, brother of the bridegroom, and the groomsmen were Messrs. W. Pawson, C.H. Kirby and H.H. Davies, all of Leeds.
There was a large number of guests at the reception, which was held at the Hanbury Hotel, Aberbeeg.
Later the happy couple left for their honeymoon, touring the Continent, the bride travelling in navy and white ensemble.
Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings will make their future home at Collingham, near Leeds.
They were the recipients of many costly gifts.

When the National Registration was taken in 1939, Allan and Phyllis were living at Harewood Road, Collingham. Allan was a timber merchant and Phyllis a housewife, but both were already contributing to the war effort - Allan with the Leeds Auxiliary Fire Service, and Phyllis in the Women's Voluntary Service. At the same time, Allan's brother, George (Jnr), is on the Collingham National Registration living at Santa Rosa, Langwith Avenue, Collingham. Also registered at this address were Laura Cullen (George Jnr's aunt) and a single millinery buyer and sales manager, Winifred A Wallinger. Just a few months later, Winifred and George Haynes Rawlings (Jnr) married. On the National Register, George (Jnr) is listed as a timber merchant, but he was also giving his time in Civil Defence as a member of the Observer Corps. Winifred also gave her time in Civil Defence as a member of 'C' Report Centre, Leeds Corporation, ARP.

Service record

We do not yet have full details of Allan's military service but we know that he joined the RAF and reached the rank of Leading Aircraftman, before being commissioned in the General Branch with the rank of Flying Officer.

After the war

After the war, Allan returned to Collingham and he and Phyllis appear on electoral rolls for Collingham from 1945 until at least 1960 living at Langwith Hill, Collingham. Allan Ernest Rawlings died in 1997.

Biography last updated 24 September 2025 10:33:59.

If you have any photographs or further details about this person we would be pleased to hear from you. Please contact us via: alan.berry@collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info