Thomas William Holmes

He stormed machine-gun posts to open the way for his troops.

Thomas William Holmes was born in Montreal and grew up in Owen Sound, Ontario, after his family moved there in 1903. He attended Ryerson School and worked before enlistment, including employment connected with a farm near Annan. He joined the 147th Grey Battalion in December 1915.

Holmes sailed for Britain aboard Olympic in November 1916 and reached France with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles in early 1917. He fought at Vimy Ridge that April and sustained an arm wound that required treatment in Britain. During his convalescence he also encountered the consequences of war within his own family: his brother Roy had been blinded on active service. Holmes returned to his battalion in France in October.

On 26 October 1917, near Passchendaele, his company was held up by German machine guns and a concrete strongpoint. The official Victoria Cross citation records that Holmes, acting on his own initiative, ran forward and threw two grenades, killing or wounding the crews of two machine guns. Returning for another grenade, he approached the pillbox and compelled its nineteen surviving occupants to surrender. The citation calls his attack “single-handed” and credits it with enabling the advance to continue (Department of National Defence, https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/medals/victoria-cross-recipients/thomas-william-holmes.html; Gazette, 11 January 1918).

King George V presented the Victoria Cross at Sandringham on 31 December 1918. Holmes subsequently returned to Canada and resumed civilian life. He married Annie Middaugh and worked in Toronto, including employment as a chauffeur for the Harbour Commissioners. His postwar years also included serious illness and difficulties securing adequate support. The decoration did not insulate him from the financial and medical problems experienced by many returned soldiers.

Holmes died at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, on 4 January 1950 and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound. His Victoria Cross had already acquired a complicated history: it was stolen in 1935 and replaced. The Canadian War Museum later acquired medals associated with him, preserving the connection between the actions recorded in his citation and the much less public life that followed his return from France.

Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery and resource when the right flank of our attack was held up by heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from .a "pill-box"' strong point. Heavy casualties were producing a critical situation when Pte. Holmes, on his own initiative and single-handed, ran forward and threw two bombs, killing and wounding the crews of two machine guns. He then returned to his comrades, secured another bomb, and again rushed forward alone under heavy fire and threw the bomb into the entrance of the " pill-box," causing the nineteen occupants to surrender. By this act of valour at a very critical moment Pte. Holmes undoubtedly cleared the way for the advance of our troops and saved the lives of many of his comrades.