Eli was born on 28 March 1919 in Leeds, Yorkshire to Lithuanian father Isaac Katchanofski and Jessie nee Goldman and he had an older brother Charles. In 1939, the family were living at 7 Livingstone Place, Leeds where Isaac was listed as working as a pedlar and Charles and Eli were both tailor’s cutters.

Their mother Jessie died in February 1941 and their father remarried later that year to Rose Dinow, and they had a son Melvin was born in 1944.

On 27 August 1942, Eli married Bertha Katz in Giffnock, Scotland. Their marriage certificate lists Eli as a private in the Royal Pioneer Corps and Bertha worked as a greengrocer’s assistant. Eli officially changed his surname from Katchanofski to Collins in June 1944. The cause of Eli’s death is unknown to date.