Frederick William Holmes

For other people named Frederick Holmes, see Frederick Holmes (disambiguation).

Frederick William Holmes
Corporal Holmes in 1915, wearing Victoria Cross and French Médaille Militaire medals
Born	15 September 1889 Bermondsey, London, England
Died	22 October 1969 (aged 80) Port Augusta, Australia
Buried	Stirling North Garden Cemetery, Section 2, Row E, Grave 6, Port Augusta, South Australia
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1907-1921
Rank	Captain
Unit	King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Victoria Cross Médaille militaire

Captain Frederick William Holmes VC (15 September 1889 – 22 October 1969) also known as F. W. Holmes, was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Biography

Holmes was born on 27 September 1889 in Bermondsey, London, England. He joined the British Army on 28 September 1907, the day after his 18th birthday.

Holmes was 24 years old, and a lance corporal in the 2nd Battalion, The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place at the Battle of Le Cateau for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC):

At Le Gateau on 26th August, carried a wounded man out of the trenches under heavy fire and later assisted to drive a gun out of action by taking the place of a driver who had been wounded

— London Gazette (24 November 1914)

On the first day of the Battle of Le Cateau, Holmes came across Bugler H. Norman Hawthorne, who was lying in the open with two broken legs. He proceeded to pick Hawthorne up and carried him on his back until he reached the stretcher bearers, two miles behind the trenches. He then ran back to the frontline. He returned to his battalion only to find "a scene of carnage", with much of the men "killed or wounded and a gun in danger of being captured by German forces". A wounded artilleryman asked Holmes if he could ride, as all the drivers were dead and someone had to guide the six horses to take the 18-pounder gun to safety. He limbered up the gun, placed the wounded artilleryman on one of the horses, and drove the artillery gun team away from the front line until they were out of range of the German artillery. Unfortunately, the injured man fell off somewhere in the dark and was lost. Eventually, on the second day of the battle, Holmes and his gun team reached the rearguard of a retiring artillery column. His story was first met with suspicion by the unit's major but was verified after a while and he became the battery's guest.

Following the events of the Battle of Le Cateau, Holmes rejoined 'A' Company of his battalion. However, in October 1914, he was seriously wounded in the ankle during a counter-attack; this resulted in the army doctors wishing to amputate his leg but he refused. He was instead repatriated to a hospital in England and then on Aldershot to recuperate. During his convalescence, Holmes was awarded the French Médaille Militaire and received notice that he was to be warded the Victoria Cross, the United Kingdom's highest award for bravery in the face of the enemey.

He later achieved the rank of Captain.

Indian rope trick

In 1917, Holmes, who was a Lieutenant at the time, stated that whilst on his veranda with a group of officers in Kirkee, he had observed the Indian rope trick being performed by an old man and young boy. The boy climbed the rope, balanced himself and then descended. The old man tapped the rope and it collapsed. This demonstration did not include the disappearance of the boy. In February 1919, Holmes presented a photograph he had taken of the trick at a meeting with members of The Magic Circle. It was examined by Robert Elliot, who stated it was not a demonstration of the Indian rope trick but an example of a balancing trick on a bamboo pole. Elliot noted that "the tapering of the pole is an absolutely clear feature and definitely shows that it was not a rope." Holmes later admitted this, however, the photograph was reproduced by the press in several magazines and newspapers as proof the trick had been successfully demonstrated. Although discredited, the photograph is considered to be the first ever taken of the trick.

Bibliography

• Buzzell, Nora, ed. (1997). The Register of the Victoria Cross. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: This England Alma House. ISBN 0-906324-27-0.
• Gliddon, Gerald (2011) [1994]. 1914. VCs of the First World War. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. ISBN 978-0752459080.
• Harvey, David (2000). Monuments to Courage. Naval & Military Press Ltd. ISBN 1-84342-356-1.

External links

• Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes (biography)
• Burial location of Frederick Holmes "South Australia"
• News item "Frederick Holmes' Victoria Cross sold at auction"
• [1] "Official Imperial War Museum photo"