On Soissons Memorial, Aisne, France is the name of 3/10027 Serjeant William Holmes serving with the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) who died 29/05/1918.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Nothing is known of the formative years of William Holmes His mother was Elizabeth Holmes, born in 1851, whether this was her married surname is also unknown. In the 1911 census and when he enlisted William declared he was born in Coundon, which is in the district of Bishop Auckland in County Durham.
In 1911 William (29) was living in the home of Mary Hannah Gibs, a widow with two adolescent sons. He is listed as an assistant but also as a coal miner/hewer, also in the household was a servant Elizabeth Ann Old (16).
As early as 1911 there were already rumblings of a possibility of war with Germany. In 1914 when Germany violated Belgian neutrality, after a plea from the King of the Belgians, Britain issued an ultimatum that Germany withdraw its troops by 11 p.m. on August 4th 1914. When this was ignored King George V that same evening declared a state of war existed with Germany.
In answer to Kitchener’s call to arms and the order that all regiments raise new battalions, men from all walks of life volunteered to serve their Country.. William enlisted at Sunderland where he was assigned as Private 10027 to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own). Its role was to train the volunteers and provide reinforcements for the front lines.
The 2nd Battalion which had been withdrawn from Malta arrived at Southampton on September 25th 1914 joining the 23rd Brigade, 8th Division in training at Hurley Park near Winchester. As part of the British Expeditionary Force they departed England landing at Le Havre, France on November 5th. Private Holmes was drafted to the front arriving in France on December 19th 1914 where he rose to the rank of Serjeant having been posted to the 2nd Battalion W.Y.R..
In the absence of a military record it is not possible to follow his exact movements or to know if he ever fell ill or was wounded during his service.
The 2nd Battalion W.Y.R. remained on the Western Front for the entire conflict of WW1. In 1915 they were in action at Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge and Bois Grenier. In 1916 they were on the Somme at the Battle of Albert July 1st-13th and the retreat to the Hindenburg Line. They left France in 1917 moving north to the battlefields of the Ypres salient participating during the 3rd Battle of Ypres, July 31st-November 10th 1917. When the Germans attacked once again on the Somme on March 21st 1918 they were ruched back to France and fought in the Aisne sector at the Second Battle of Arras and the Final Advance to Victory concluding with the Armistice of November 11th 1918.
Serjeant 10027 William Holmes between May 27th-29th was reported as missing between and after extensive investigations as to his whereabouts is presumed to have been killed in action on May 29th 1918 during the overwhelming German attack when the Allies were pushed back across the Aisne and the Marne. His sacrifice is recorded as one of almost 4,000 names of officers and men of the United Kingdom on the Soissons Memorial, Aisne, France who died during the Battles of the Aisne and Marne in 1918 and who have no known grave. Serjeant William Holmes was 36 years old.
His mother received all monies due to her late son from the Army, his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal also a pension sent to her at 2, Florence Crescent, Southwick, Sunderland historically in County Durham.
Unconfirmed details state Elizabeth Holmes (71) died at Sunderland in 1932.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William Holmes is remembered
at Southwick on S103.08, S130.12, S130.13 and S130.22, at Sunderland in S140.48 Part 12 page 274 and in Peter Gibson’s book.
