Lives of the First World War

The Record shows that Hector (born 1901) was so keen to join the RAF that in 1918 he enlisted using the identity of his elder brother Herbert (born 1894, & an RAF pilot then training at Vendome in France). Hector's middle name is incorrectly added in red as McDonald; it was "Maxwell" at birth. See page 3 of https://www.scribd.com/doc/76146876/Cunningham-Pedigrees

Hector Maxwell Cunningham (seated) alongside his eldest brother Herbert Cunningham, whose identity he took to enable Hector to enlist in the RAF under-age. Herbert was serving as a pilot in the RAF at the time. The war ended two months after Hector's enlistment in Sept 1918.

Hector's enthusiasm for following his elder brother Herbert into the RAF led him to borrow his name and identity to enlist under age. The war ended only two months later and Herbert was soon on his way home to Belfast. So Hector caught a boat out of Liverpool, still using his brother's identity but now describing himself as an officer. He settled in Vancouver, Canada in 1919, working as a telegraph linesman during the Depression , married in 1927 and with 3 daughters by 1937 he decided to change his and all his family's names. He became "Don Collin" while two further children were born, Diane and Bob to join the new Canadian Collin family

Robert Charles Collin, only son of Hector Maxwell Cunningham 1901-54 (renamed Don Collin 1937) of Belfast, and Florrie Mae Bedford 1907-88 (renamed Roslyn Collin 1937) of Methuen, Mass.

Hector Maxwell Cunningham was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1901 and arrived in Canada alone aged 18. He lived at Chilliwack BC and worked as a telephone linesman, with car dealing on the side, throughout the Great Depression. In 1937 he changed his whole family's surname to "Collin" and took "Don" as his first name. In 1946 he moved to Calgary, Alberta, running a Building Contracts Agency until his death aged 53