On Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the name of P/JX 197564 Ordinary Seaman Stanley Holmes serving on H.M.S. Gladiolus with the Royal Navy who died 21/10/1941.

He was the son of Jonathan and Hannah Elizabeth Holmes, of West Auckland, Co. Durham.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Stanley Holmes was born on 10th August 1919 to Jonathan and Hannah Elizabeth (nee Maddison) Holmes who had married in Auckland in 1905.  He had two older sisters Mary (1908) and Millicent (1910) and one younger, Iris born in 1926.  In 1939 all the family were living at 4 Louvain Terrace, Bishop Auckland, both father Jonathan and Stanley were coal miners.

On 16th /17th October 1941 HMS Gladiolus was reported missing after a night action fought between five U-boats and the escorts of convoy SC-48. She was on her station astern of the port wing of convoy when the U-boat attacks began and disappeared with all hands. The commander, four officers, 59 ratings and one survivor from Empire Heron picked up one night earlier were lost.

Stanley Holmes is remembered at High Etherley on H127.01 and H127.02 and on our List of Ships’ Crews.