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Rev Corrie Colling, 1896-1979
Alan Payne March 2026 In years to come there will be a long list of ministers in every parish in England. Most will be just names, in situ for a few years and their effort to administer to their congregation entirely forgotten, and their life work lost. This is the story of the Rector and his wife at Ditteridge Church from 1969 to 1979. Usually known as “Corrie”, Coryndon William Blanche Colling was a man of many parts, First World War naval aircraft pilot, ordained in the Church of Wales, and Rector at St Christopher’s Church, Ditteridge for a decade until his death Corrie was born at Colehill, Dorset, in 1896 to a distinguished and affluent family. His paternal grandparents were well-known Oakhampton residents; his grandfather, Henry Colling, was a solicitor and mayor of the town and borough and his grandmother, Elizabeth, referred to herself as Lady in the 1851 census, where they lived with their five children and three domestic servants. His father, Coryndon (1850-1907), was a successful manager in the National Provincial Bank in Wimborne, where he and his wife Elizabeth Anne Blanche (1848-) were listed alongside two sons and two servants in 1901. His maternal grandfather, Thomas John Blanche, was a dentist in Malton, Yorkshire, but he had West Country connections having been born in Bath in 1829. Thomas was something of a local celebrity whose interests included scientific exploration of the natural world and musical fundraising events for the poor of Malton.[1] Right: Corrie Colling (courtesy Bath & West Evening Chronicle, 20 February 1979) |
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World War 1 and Later
Corrie joined the navy in January 1914 (before the outbreak of the First World War) when he came fifth in the Civil Service examinations as assistant clerk in the Royal Navy.[2] He was despatched to Malta in 1915 and appears to have served on various battleships in 1914 and 1915. By 1916 he was transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service as a Flight Officer, and towards the end of hostilities was deemed no longer fit to fly. He joined the Royal Naval Air Station, Dundee, whose role was to patrol the east coast, particularly looking for submarine activity and the possibility of an invasion by Zeppelin.
In 1928 he married Margaret (Ruth) Mackenzie (1898-1962) at Battle, Sussex. She was the daughter of William James Mackenzie, and an active member of the Wesleyan Church Choir.[3] They had one child, John Coryndon Colling (1929-2015). During the 1930s they were living at St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, where Corrie was working as a motor engineer. By 1939 while Margaret stayed with her parents ay Bexhill, Corrie had moved to Lewisham describing his occupation as Assistant Works Manager: Normally breathing apparatus salesman and demonstrator. Interestingly, he lived next door to Adolph C Mullen, Lewisham chaplain and priest at St Mary’s Lewisham.
Corrie returned to service again during the Second World War serving as a major commanding anti-aircraft rocket batteries. When peace came he worked for the Ministry of Supplies as a technical consultant, a job he continued with private companies.
Peacetime
After the war Corrie became a youth leader in Brislington, Bristol, and trained as a lay reader in 1950. He determined to become a vicar but found too many obstacles in the Church of England. Eventually he was ordained in Wales by the Bishop of Llandaff in 1958.[4] He and Margaret stayed in Bristol, where Corrie was the vicar at St Michael the Archangel, Two Mile Hill, Kingswood in 1961.[5] Margaret died a year later in 1962.
Aged 70, Corrie remarried in 1967 to Florence Nancy Evans (nee Whalley) (1919-2020). They wed in Bristol in a service conducted by the Bishop of Bristol. Nancy was from Frome, the daughter of Harry Bertram Whalley, a master printer employed by the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society. Nancy was a renowned bowls player, three times English champion and President of the English Women’s Bowls Association. She was also the southwest organiser of the Children’s Union for the Church of England Children’s Society.[6] She had married Harold Evans in 1958, Past President of the Frome Selwood Club, but was widowed a year later in 1959. She maintained her bowls interests after she married Corrie. Her fame was such that, when she had to forfeit a tournament match in 1974 because of a sudden asthma attack, the event received wide coverage in the local sporting papers.[7]
Corrie and Nancy left Bristol in 1969 and moved to Ditteridge when Corrie was appointed rector there. They had been subject to gossip in Bristol with headlines such as “Vicar (70) to wed widow”.[8] They moved into the Rectory, Ditteridge, but Nancy continued her bowling with Frome Selwood Club. In 1976 she was President of the English Women’s Bowls Association when an international tournament came to the Imperial Rink, Bristol. Corrie preached the opening service.[9] Her greatest moment came when she was President of the International Women’s Bowling Board and appointed an MBE in 1996. Nancy died aged 101 in 2020.[10]
We are fortunate in having some of Corrie’s personal views. A week before his death he urged the church to play a greater role in seeking moral solutions to Britain’s pay and industrial problems, pleading for a simpler lifestyle to enable the world’s starving people to live.[11]
Conclusion
The two World Wars diminished the middle-class affluence of Edwardian English families. Many people never recovered but Corrie Colling was more flexible than most. He served in both wars, sought other employment when needed, and latterly found a spiritual path in the church. If you need a role model for achievement, look no further than Rev Corrie Colling.
Corrie joined the navy in January 1914 (before the outbreak of the First World War) when he came fifth in the Civil Service examinations as assistant clerk in the Royal Navy.[2] He was despatched to Malta in 1915 and appears to have served on various battleships in 1914 and 1915. By 1916 he was transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service as a Flight Officer, and towards the end of hostilities was deemed no longer fit to fly. He joined the Royal Naval Air Station, Dundee, whose role was to patrol the east coast, particularly looking for submarine activity and the possibility of an invasion by Zeppelin.
In 1928 he married Margaret (Ruth) Mackenzie (1898-1962) at Battle, Sussex. She was the daughter of William James Mackenzie, and an active member of the Wesleyan Church Choir.[3] They had one child, John Coryndon Colling (1929-2015). During the 1930s they were living at St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, where Corrie was working as a motor engineer. By 1939 while Margaret stayed with her parents ay Bexhill, Corrie had moved to Lewisham describing his occupation as Assistant Works Manager: Normally breathing apparatus salesman and demonstrator. Interestingly, he lived next door to Adolph C Mullen, Lewisham chaplain and priest at St Mary’s Lewisham.
Corrie returned to service again during the Second World War serving as a major commanding anti-aircraft rocket batteries. When peace came he worked for the Ministry of Supplies as a technical consultant, a job he continued with private companies.
Peacetime
After the war Corrie became a youth leader in Brislington, Bristol, and trained as a lay reader in 1950. He determined to become a vicar but found too many obstacles in the Church of England. Eventually he was ordained in Wales by the Bishop of Llandaff in 1958.[4] He and Margaret stayed in Bristol, where Corrie was the vicar at St Michael the Archangel, Two Mile Hill, Kingswood in 1961.[5] Margaret died a year later in 1962.
Aged 70, Corrie remarried in 1967 to Florence Nancy Evans (nee Whalley) (1919-2020). They wed in Bristol in a service conducted by the Bishop of Bristol. Nancy was from Frome, the daughter of Harry Bertram Whalley, a master printer employed by the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society. Nancy was a renowned bowls player, three times English champion and President of the English Women’s Bowls Association. She was also the southwest organiser of the Children’s Union for the Church of England Children’s Society.[6] She had married Harold Evans in 1958, Past President of the Frome Selwood Club, but was widowed a year later in 1959. She maintained her bowls interests after she married Corrie. Her fame was such that, when she had to forfeit a tournament match in 1974 because of a sudden asthma attack, the event received wide coverage in the local sporting papers.[7]
Corrie and Nancy left Bristol in 1969 and moved to Ditteridge when Corrie was appointed rector there. They had been subject to gossip in Bristol with headlines such as “Vicar (70) to wed widow”.[8] They moved into the Rectory, Ditteridge, but Nancy continued her bowling with Frome Selwood Club. In 1976 she was President of the English Women’s Bowls Association when an international tournament came to the Imperial Rink, Bristol. Corrie preached the opening service.[9] Her greatest moment came when she was President of the International Women’s Bowling Board and appointed an MBE in 1996. Nancy died aged 101 in 2020.[10]
We are fortunate in having some of Corrie’s personal views. A week before his death he urged the church to play a greater role in seeking moral solutions to Britain’s pay and industrial problems, pleading for a simpler lifestyle to enable the world’s starving people to live.[11]
Conclusion
The two World Wars diminished the middle-class affluence of Edwardian English families. Many people never recovered but Corrie Colling was more flexible than most. He served in both wars, sought other employment when needed, and latterly found a spiritual path in the church. If you need a role model for achievement, look no further than Rev Corrie Colling.
References
[1] The Malton Messenger, 23 March 1889 and The Beverley Weekly Recorder and General Advertiser, 29 January 1870
[2] The Naval and Military Record, 7 January 1914
[3] Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 16 June 1928
[4] The Western Mail, 3 June 1958
[5] Bristol Evening Post, 23 August 1967
[6] Bristol Evening Post, 7 October 1967
[7] Somerset Guardian and Standard, 7 June 1974
[8] Bristol Evening Post, 7 October 1967
[9] Bristol Evening Post, 9 June 1976
[10] https://www.fromeselwoodbowlsclub.org/community/frome-selwood-bowling-club-10682/nancy-colling-mbe-obituary/
[11] Bath & West Evening Chronicle, 20 February 1979
[1] The Malton Messenger, 23 March 1889 and The Beverley Weekly Recorder and General Advertiser, 29 January 1870
[2] The Naval and Military Record, 7 January 1914
[3] Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 16 June 1928
[4] The Western Mail, 3 June 1958
[5] Bristol Evening Post, 23 August 1967
[6] Bristol Evening Post, 7 October 1967
[7] Somerset Guardian and Standard, 7 June 1974
[8] Bristol Evening Post, 7 October 1967
[9] Bristol Evening Post, 9 June 1976
[10] https://www.fromeselwoodbowlsclub.org/community/frome-selwood-bowling-club-10682/nancy-colling-mbe-obituary/
[11] Bath & West Evening Chronicle, 20 February 1979