Philip M Colechin was the son of Mark and mary Colchin of Sidcup, Kent.

He volunteered for the airborne forces having previously served with The RA.

Philip successfully passed parachute jump instruction on Course 20. This course ran between 27 July and 3 August 1942. Philip then became a member of 1 Pln, R Coy, 1st Para Bn. 

Philip was killed between 3 and 5 February 1943 during Op. Torch. It is reported that for their  time on and around Djebel Mansour, The 1st Para Bn suffered 13 Officers killed an wounded and around 169 Other Ranks killed, wounded and missing. The majority of these men have no known grave and are commemorated on the Medjez-el-Bab memorial to the missing. Perhaps due to the arduous conditions for moving casualties, the majority were not collected.  If any were given a burial by the Germans their graves were subsequently lost.

He is remembered on face 35 of the Medjez-el-Bab memorial in Tunisia.