Early travels with the family

In winter, the family often travelled to southern Europe or North Africa. In his early autobiography, Collingwood, mentions a trip to Algiers in 1888 or 1889 as the earliest he could remember. These escapes from British winters may have been in part for his health as he was subject to bronchial illnesses: three years later, in 1892, he had a severe bout, during which he coughed blood. Tuberculosis was no doubt suspected, a, common and very serious illness at the time. A cousin, Charles Ingram’s son Randolph, died of it in an Isle of White sanatorium.

The family stayed at the best hotels, such as the Californie and Metrapole in Cannes, and Shepherds and the Mena House in Cairo. Although one reason for these winter visits may have been Collingwood’s health, it was also fashionable – the hotels were frequented by wealthy British families, some of whom were known to the Ingrams.

          Collingwood wrote about a trip to Egypt in winter 1895-6, when he was 15. They travelled on the newly built P&O liner Caledonia, calling at Gibralter, Malta and Brindisi in Italy, before leaving the ship at Port Said.  They took with them Tony, a pet sparrow (mate of the albino Tiny!). Going down the Nile on a boat. Tony flew free, but went missing and was lost for hours. The family and the crew searched for him up and down the river – when eventually the prodigal sparrow was found the crew was given a celebratory fatted sheep.[1]

          Collingwood was already a seasoned traveller and the sights of the Nile did not greatly excite him.

'At Cairo we saw the pyramids and the sphinx for the hundredth time in my case for three years back I lived some weeks at the Mena House Hotel, and  as you could see the great pyramids from your bed we saw them fairly often.'