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Bridge of Weir
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John HolmesL' CPL JOHN HOLMES 10 TH A.&.S.H.

S/15343 Lance Corporal John Holmes

10th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

died of wounds 11th April 1917

aged 20


Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension
St Machar's Church Memorial


Son of Alexander Holmes and Margaret Laird
Mount Pleasant, Bridge of Weir


His Life

John Holmes was born on 3rd November 1896 at Burngill, Bridge of Weir, the eldest of a family of at least five born to Alexander Holmes, a journeyman mason from Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire and Margaret Johnstone Laird, from Gourock, Renfrewshire who had married in Govan, Glasgow on 14th August 1896.

In 1901 Alexander (28), stonemason, Maggie (28), and their first three children John (4), Hugh and Alexander were living in Main Street, Bridge of Weir.

In 1911, the Holmes family of seven was living in two rooms in Burngill, Bridge of Weir. John (14) was an office boy in a leather works. The children who were old enough were at school.

John Holmes volunteered on 26th November 1915, soon after his 19th birthday, by which time he was living in Mount Pleasant, Bridge of Weir and was a clerk with the General Electric Company in Waterloo Street, Glasgow. On 5th December he was enlisted as a Private in the 15th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

From 12th July 1916 he was in France, and on 27th July was transferred to the 10th Battalion which then formed part of 26th Brigade in the 9th (Scottish) Division, which had lost 314 Officers and 7,203 other ranks between 1st and 20th July in the first three weeks of the Battle of the Somme. The Division returned to action in the Battle of Le Transloy from 1st - 18th October 1916, one of the later Somme offensives. On 20th December 1916 Private Holmes was promoted to Lance Corporal (unpaid). The 10th Argylls took part in the Battle of Arras in April 1917. On 9th April, the first day of the battle, they successfully took their objectives including the village of Athies to the north east of Arras. But the cost was 16 killed, 64 wounded, one of whom was John Holmes. He died of wounds two days later on 11th April 1917 in No. 30 Casualty Clearing Station, Aubigny, Pas de Calais, France. His commanding officer had erroneously reported him killed on 9th April 1917. He was buried at Aubigny.

His mother had to acknowledge receipt of the following items of private property: Photos, Correspondence, Testament, Pocket Dictionary, Cigarette Case, 2 Coins, Pipe, Prayer Book, 1 Belt with Cap Badge and Numerals attached. His younger brother Hugh Laird Holmes was still serving with the Army in Constantinople in 1919.

Battle of Arras The 9th Dvision's advance on the first day of the Battle of Arras. The furthest advance of the 10th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders is shown by the red circle. John Holmes received his fatal wounds that day.

Siblings

1901 Census 1911 Census Birthplace
Name Age Name Age
John4 John14 Bridge of Weir
Hugh3 Hugh L13 Bridge of Weir
Alexander2 mo Alexr10 Bridge of Weir
Eliza7 Bridge of Weir
Margaret1 Bridge of Weir

Sources

TO CITE THIS PAGE: MLA style: "Bridge of Weir Memorial". Date of viewing. http://www.bridgeofweirmemorial.co.uk/profile-holmes.html