JOHN WATSON HOLMES
August 1897 - 11 October 1917
At School 1907 - 1916
L/Cpl 202185 6th Yorkshire Regt
John was born in Crewe, Cheshire and in 1901, aged 3, was living at Westfields, Middlewich, Sandbach, Cheshire with father Arthur, a clothing manufacturer, mother Hannah, elder sisters Caroline, Hazel and Dorothy, elder brothers Arthur, Henry, Vernon and Frank, younger sister Evelyn and two domesic servants. Vernon was also a Hulmeian and unfortunately also killed during the war. By 1911 the family had moved to 29 Manley Road, Whalley Range and John was at School.
John entered the School in 1907, and left at midsummer, 1916. He was a prefect in Dalton House, played on all the School teams, and took a high place on the classical side. The School Magazine of April 1916 reported of the 1915-16 first football eleven - "Holmes J W (left half) - Has improved wonderfully this season, and is one of our best defence men. A hard worker, who puts all he can into the game and rarely lets his man give any trouble. Uses his head to some advantage."
He had been sergeant-major in the Cadet Corps, and obtained a leaving exhibition for the University, but joined the forces in August, 1916. John would have been just 19 and probably conscripted. He joined the 6th Yorkshire Regiment and was soon promoted to Lance Corporal.
John's service record has not survived so it is not known when he joined his Battalion overseas. The 6th Battalion had fought in Gallipoli in 1915, being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915 and then transferred to France in July 1916. The Battalion formed part of the 32nd Brigade, 11th (Northern Division), which in the latter part of 1916 and early part of 1917 was based in the Ancre Region in front of Albert. In June 1917 the Division moved to Messines, south of Ypres where it took part in the Battle of Messines. Throughout the remainder of 1917 the Division remained in the Ypres Sector, taking part in attacks at Langemark, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde and on 9 October, Poelcappelle.

The beginning of September saw the 6th Battalion in billets at Poperinghe engaged in cleaning up after recent action in trenches in front of the Yser Canal and the reorganization of companies with new drafts, which had just arrived. The days were spent in Company training including special instruction in bayonet fighting for NCO's and musketry courses. On 24 September the Battalion moved from Poperinghe to Reigersberg, whence they marched to dugouts on the Yser Canal Bank and at 6 p.m. moved up into the front line to relieve the 5th Seaforth Highlanders.
The Battalion remained in the front line for 5 days, suffering heavy shelling, until relieved. Casualties were 1 officer died of wounds, OR 29 killed and 63 wounded. On 2 October the Battalion marched to Vlamertinghe where they embussed to Houtkerque, to the west of Poperinghe, on the French border. After refitting following the period in the front line, the Battalion was engaged in practising over flagged and taped courses near Bois St Acaire for the coming attack on Poelcappelle. The weather had changed and heavy rain was experienced which turned the battlefield into a sea of mud. On 7 October the Battalion embussed to Siege Camp, via Proven and Poperinghe, approximately 4 miles north west of Ypres, from where at 9.45 p.m. orders were received to move up to the front line. Heavy rain fell all that day and the next.

The war diary states that "the ground was very bad for moving Infantry and the relief was not
completed until 3.40 a.m." On 9 October at 1 a.m. orders were received for the attack."
"Intelligence officers attempted to put out the Tapes for lining up on the 8th but owing to the rain drowning the Tapes and the darkness, Tapes were not in position until 2 a.m. This prevented a reconnaissance of the Tapes by Company officers and greatly hindered the forming up. The Intelligence Officer Scouts guided the Companies onto the Tapes and the Battn. formed up at 4.00 a.m. German shelling was very heavy during the night and the Allied barrage was "very ill defined and the HE and heavy batteries fired very short." Zero hour was 5.20 a.m. The Diary reported that there was little opposition until a fork in the roads opposite the BREWERY was reached. Here the Battalion encountered heavy machine gun fire and although several of the concrete blockhouses north west of the BREWERY were taken, the general line could not be held.

At some point during the battle John was wounded and evacuated to St Omer, which was a considerable hospital centre, some 40 miles to the west. Sadly he succumbed to his injuries on 11th October and is buried in Longueness (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, approximately 3 km from St Omer centre on the road to Abbeville. The cemetery contains 2,874 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.
Corporal J WATSON HOLMES, died on October 11, of wounds received on October 9, nearly a year after his elder brother, Lieutenant V R Holmes, M C, was killed in action.