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Medal entitlement of Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes, 2nd Bn, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
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| THE VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED TO LANCE-CORPORAL FREDERICK WILLIAM HOLMES, 2ND BN, KING'S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY HAS BEEN SOLD AT AUCTION BY MORTON & EDEN. |
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| 3 October 2003 |
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Medal entitlement of Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes, 2nd Bn, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
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| The London auction house of Morton & Eden today sold the Victoria Cross awarded to Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes for a hammer price of £80,000. Holmes' VC was one of the earliest awards of the First World War, and the second to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, the first being awarded to Major Charles Yate. The VC, on its own, forms part of the collection of medals formed by the late Dr. Arthur King.( Frederick Holmes' other medals are held privately - see below ). Frederick Holmes came from Bermondsey, South East London, and after completing his education joined the Army, aged 18, on 28th September 1907. He served for seven years, was then placed on the reserve, but two weeks later was called up for active service on the outbreak of WWI in August 1914.
After extremely hazardous fighting in the morning and afternoon of the 26th August 1914 in France, the order to retire was given by General Smith-Dorien. To carry out the retirement, however, was a very dangerous business as each man had to run across the zone of land to safety under close fire of the enemy. When it came for Holmes' turn to escape, he noticed Bugler Woodcock lying close to the path with both of his legs broken at the knees. Without considering his own safety, Holmes picked up the injured man and giving him a fireman's lift made off as quickly as he could. Holmes finally came across some stretcher bearers in a small village about two miles from the trenches and handed over Woodcock to them. Frederick Holmes then ran back towards his previous lines, dodging German shells the whole time. When he arrived back he came across a scene of carnage where an unattended British 18-pounder gun with six horses was standing idle, surrounded by dead and dying artillerymen. However, on seeing him one of the wounded men, a young Trumpeter, asked Holmes whether he could ride a horse as the gun had to be got away and all the drivers were dead. Holmes placed the young Trumpeter on one of the horses and mounted the leading horse himself. He then desperately urged his horses on to the gallop and in his own words - "It is impossible to describe exactly what took place; all that I can picture is flying along the roads and making terrible patterns when turning corners, bumping over hedges and ditches, and hearing the noise the gun made every time it flopped down on to the road from the hedge sides. I have no idea how long this was after we had started, but it was nearly dark when I looked back." After travelling about three miles, Holmes and the gun found themselves finally out of the range of German shelling, and stopped at a stream to allow the horses to drink. By this time Holmes had no idea where he was and it was not until the following evening that the horses finally brought him into the rearguard of a retiring artillery column. At first an artillery Major was suspicious but after a while Holmes' story was verified and he became an honoured guest of the battery. [ London Gazette, 25 November 1914 ]. Le Cateau, France, 26 August 1914, No 9376 Lance-Corporal Frederick Holmes, 2nd Bn, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry "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."Frederick Holmes was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 13th January 1915.
After his escapade, Holmes finally rejoined 'A' Company of the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry but in October 1914 was seriously wounded in the ankle during a counter-attack preventing him from walking. He refused doctors permission to amputate his leg and was repatriated to England and hospital in Weybridge and then Aldershot where he began to recover from his wounds. It was during this period that Holmes received the French Médaille Militaire and on the 25th November 1914 he was brought news of the award of the Victoria Cross.
In October 1915 Holmes joined the 1st Bn The Green Howards and was promoted Sergeant. In December he left for India where the regiment was to be stationed and was later commissioned Second Lieutenant attached to the 9th Bn Worcestershire Regiment. Holmes was then sent to Mesopotamia in July 1917 but suffered a serious accident in which he fractured his skull and as a result was sent home in early 1918. Holmes finally left the Army on the 20th August 1921 and went to work in London, but a few years later left Britain to live in Port Augusta, South Australia. He died in Port Augusta on 22nd October 1969 and was cremated at the Stirling District Crematorium, Adelaide. |
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The campaign medals of Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes are held privately
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Iain Stewart, 3 October 2003