Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Alfred Colson, a civil engineer, born on the 31st January 1849 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales and baptised on the 6th April 1849 in the Church of St. Woolos, Newport and again on the 28th August 1850 in the Church of St. Dunstan, Stepney, Middlesex (son of Henry Colson, 1809-1891 and Sarah Harriet Richards, 1816-1871) and his wife Margaretta Colson, (nee Whittle, married in the October quarter of 1877 in Kingston, Surrey, Margaretta was born on the 5th May 1844 in Turners Puddle, Dorset and baptised on the 5th May 1844 in Holy Trinity Church, Turners Puddle (daughter of Edmund Whittle, 1811-1871 and Harriet Amey, 1809-1863). Douglas Fairley was born on the 12th July 1878 in Birmingham, Warwickshire and baptised in 1879 in the Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Aston, Birmingham, he had a half-blood sister, Mabel, a schoolgirl, born on the 21st February 1874 in Birmingham and baptised on the 2nd August 1874 in the Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Aston, Birmingham and a sister, Alfreda Margaretta (Effie), born on the 15th October 1879 in Birmingham, in April 1881 the family home was at 70, Lord Street, Aston, Warwickshire.
In April 1891 Douglas was residing in the family home at Avondale, London Road, Knighton, Leicester, together with his father, a civil engineer to Leicester Corporation, his mother and siblings, Norman, born on the 9th October 1881 in Birmingham and Cecil, born on the 29th January 1885 in Leicester.
In March 1901 Douglas was employed as a civil engineer and was residing in the family home at Avondale, London Road, Knighton, Leicester, together with his father, a Leicester City Corporation civil engineer, his mother and half-blood sibling, Mabel and sibling, Alfreda.
His father died at Stoneleigh, Knighton Park Road, Leicester, on the 27th May 1910, aged 61 years and was interred on the 1st June in Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester.
In April 1911 Douglas was employed as a civil engineer and was residing in the family home at 23, Glendinning Avenue, Weymouth, Dorset, together with his wife Kate Parminter Colson, (nee Merson, married in the January quarter of 1906 in Hendon, Middlesex) born on the 16th November 1876 in South Molton, Devonshire (daughter of Francis Merson, 1848 and Charlotte Elizabeth Worboys (nee Melhuish), 1853) and their children, Norman Melhuish, born 17th April 1907 in Eversley, Weymouth and Alfred Frank Douglas, born 24th September 1910 in Weymouth.
Douglas died from pneumonia in Mersina, Syria, his younger brother Cecil fell in action on the 14th December 1916.
FAMILY NOTES: Douglas’s father had previously been married to Martha Letitia Kimbey Colson (nee Barber, married on the 8th March 1873 in Kingston Chapel, Wareham, Dorset, born in the January quarter of 1852 in Bristol, Gloucestershire and baptised on the 5th March 1873 in the Church of St. Edward King & Martyr, Corfe Castle, Dorset (daughter of James Barber, 1823 and Barbara Low Kimber, 1827-1856). Martha died aged 23 years, in the July quarter of 1875 in Aston, Birmingham, and was interred in Witton Cemetery, Birmingham, Warwickshire.
Douglas also had a half-blood sibling, Percy who was born in the July quarter of 1875 in Aston, Warwickshire and who died in the July quarter of 1875 and was interred in Witton Cemetery, Birmingham, the assumption is that both Percy and his mother died from complications at birth, given they both died and were interred in the same quarter of 1875.
Douglas’s surname has variously been recorded as Coulson, Calson and Colson, the latter spelling being that with which his birth was officially recorded.
Douglas’s Army enlistment documents were not researched, and as such all that is known of his military service is that he was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers and served for twenty years in the Volunteers and Territorial Force, he served in South Africa and was awarded the Queen’s Medal and two Clasps, served in Gallipoli, France, Salonica, Egypt and served through the whole of the Palestine Campaign under Sir E. Allenby. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, (London Gazette 1st January 1918), British War Medal and Victory Medal and was also twice Mentioned in Despatches.
On the 31st January 1920 the Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester published a Roll of Honour of former pupils, this records that Douglas attended the school between the years 1891 and 1892.
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