Horace Holmes R/94
| Initial lead courtesy of In Memory. | ||||||||
| Horace Holmes was born on 28th December 1897 to George and Annie Holmes of Walsall. He was working as a stableman when he entered the Royal Naval Division from the Army Reserve on 23rd August 1916. At Blandford he was placed in the A Reserve Battalion and was promoted to Able Seaman on 28th November. | ||||||||
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Horace was drafted to the Drake Battalion on 4th December. On arriving in France he was attached to the 8th Entrenching Battalion. With the Division stationed at Gavrelle, he was admitted on 18th April 1917 to the 7th Canadian General Hospital at Étaples, suffering from shell shock, and six days later entered No. 6 Convalescent Depot at Étaples. The case was considered slight and he rejoined the Base Depot on 8th June, returning to Drake two weeks later. On 26th July he was sent to the Field Ambulance suffering from debility, presumed to be a recurrence of the shell shock symptoms previously displayed. On 8th August he was invalided to England to convalesce, first at the Princess Christian Military Hospital, then the 4th London General Hospital, and finally at the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham. On 3rd December 1917 Horace was drafted back to Drake, joining the Royal Naval Division Depot Battalion on the 11th and rejoining his unit on 5th January 1918. On 12th March he was wounded by a gas shell and is recorded as seriously ill. On 29th March he was again invalided to England, rejoining Drake on 25th August. Horace was killed in action on 27th September 1918. He is buried in Proville British Cemetery. |
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