Herbert Brayley Collett was born on 12 November 1877 at St Peter Port, Guernsey in the Channel Islands. He arrived in Australia in 1884 and was educated at Perth Grammar School. In 1891, Collett joined the Western Australian Public Service and, in 1894, the Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers. In 1901, he commanded the Western Australian troops at the inauguration of the Commonwealth in Sydney and was subsequently the first officer appointed to the Commonwealth Military Forces (CMF) under the Defence Act. He was promoted to Captain in 1902, Major in 1906 and Lieutenant-Colonel in 1908, and his CMF commands included the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment and the 88th Infantry Battalion.

During World War I, Collett raised and commanded the 28th Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and served at Gallipoli, in France and in the United Kingdom. He was wounded at Pozieres in 1916. Collett was mentioned in despatches (MID), awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and received the Volunteer Officers' Decoration (VD) in 1917. He was promoted to Colonel in 1918 and made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1919. His AIF appointment was terminated in September 1919 and he returned to the CMF as Commander of the 22nd Infantry Brigade (1920-21) and the 13th Infantry Brigade (1921-27). He was Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General (1922-26), made an Honorary Colonel of the 28th Battalion in 1929 and placed on the Reserve List in 1932. He was also President of the Returned Soldiers League of Western Australia (1925-33).
  
Prior to entering federal politics, Collett was Assistant General Secretary of the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia (1915-33) and President of the Nationalist Party of Western Australia. In 1933 he was appointed under clause 15 of the Constitution as a Nationalist (from 1937, United Australian Party) Senator for Western Australia. He was defeated at the 1946 elections but remained in the Senate until 30 June 1947. 

During World War II, Collett's military experience was useful in supporting the Minister for Repatriation in the first Menzies Government. In this period he was Minister without Portfolio administering War Service Homes (1939-41) and was, for a short period, Minister for Repatriation in his own right (June-October 1941). He was also Chairman of the Senate Committee on Regulations and Ordinances (1938), Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister in Charge of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (August-October 1940), Chairman of both the Western Australian War Industries Committee and the Western Australian Economic Survey Committee (1941), a member of the Joint Committee to review the Australian Soldiers Repatriation Act (1942-43) and a member of the Joint Committee on War Gratuities (1944-45).

Collett died in Perth in August 1947.


Sources

Parliamentary Handbook 1945 (p 48) and 1965(pp 273-277)
Who's Who in Australia 1922 (p 59) and 1947 (p 237)
World War I service dossier: CRS B2455, 'Collett H B'

Agency associated with person unregistered

1901-1915: 11th Australian Infantry Regiment - Commander
1915-1918: 88th Infantry Battalion, CMF - Commander
1915-1919: 28th Infantry Battalion, AIF - Colonel
1915-1933: Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of WA - Assistant
           General Secretary
1920-1921: 22nd Infantry Brigade - Commander
1921-1927: 13th Infantry Brigade - Commander
1925-1933: Returned Soldiers League of WA - President
1929-1932: 28th Battalion - Honorary Colonel
1941-1941: Western Australian Economic Survey Committee - Member
1942-1943: Special Joint All-Party Committee to Review the Australian
           Soldiers Repatriation Act - Member