Thomas William Holmes

Private, 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 2nd Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force

Register No.: 587 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
Rank: Private all Privates →
Unit: 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 2nd Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force (register: 2nd Battalion, CEF) all CEF VCs →
Date of action: 26 October 1917 on this day → all of 1917 →
Conflict / campaign: First World War
London Gazette: 11th January 1918 on this day → all of 1918 →
Born: 14th October, 1898 at Montreal, Canada
Died: 4th January, 1950 at Toronto, Canada
Memorial / grave: at Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, and in the Queen's Park, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

Digest of citation

On 26th October, 1917 near Passchenaele, Belgium, when the right flank of our attack was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from a pill-box strong point and heavy casualties were producing a critical situation, Private 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 fetched another bomb and threw this into the entrance of the pill-box, causing the 19 occupants to surrender

From Alf Askin's research notes

Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.

HOLMES, Thomas William. (reg No. 587).

Private. 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 2nd Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force.

London Gazetted on 11th January 1918.

Born on 14th October, 1898 at Montreal, Canada.

Died on 4th January, 1950 at Toronto, Canada.

Memorial on grave at Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, and in the Queen's Park, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.

Digest of Citation reads:. On 26th October, 1917 near Passchenaele, Belgium, when the right flank of our attack was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from a pill-box strong point and heavy casualties were producing a critical situation, Private 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 fetched another bomb and threw this into the entrance of the pill-box, causing the 19 occupants to surrender.

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Alf recorded the memorial as: at Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, and in the Queen's Park, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

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