Major General William HolmesPrint Page

The cast bronze plaque with bas relief bust commemorates Major-General Holmes who was killed in France in 1917 during World War One.

Holmes grew up at Victoria Barracks, Paddington, where his father was a soldier and later chief military clerk. As a boy he joined the 1st NSW Infantry Regiment as a bugler, and in 1886 was commissioned in the regiment, which he eventually rose to command. He served in the Boer War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

In 1914 Holmes was given command of an expeditionary force sent to capture Rabaul and occupy the German territories. This done, he caused a mild controversy by ordering the flogging of four German colonists who had assaulted a missionary. He was next appointed to command the 5th Brigade A.I.F. and took it to Gallipoli, and then to France. In January 1917 he was promoted major general and General Officer Commanding the 4th Australian Division.

During 1917 Holmes commanded his division through the disaster of the battle of Bullecourt, and in the success of the battle of Messines two months later. Shortly afterwards, on 2 July, he was escorting the New South Wales Premier, William Holman, near the battlefield when a German shell burst alongside and fatally wounded him.

The State Governor yesterday unveiled the honor and memorial rolls of employee's of the Metropolltan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage. The honor roll contains the names of 351 members of the staff who enlisted for service with the A.I.F., while the memorial roll shows the names of 42 men who made the supreme sacrifice. A guard of honor (under Lieutenant J. Morris), of returned members of the staff, lined the entrance to the office. Other members of the staff were accommodated behind the counters and on the stairs, while a large number of the general public were also present. The Governor was officially welcomed by Mr. W. J. Millner, president of the board. With him were the other members of the board, as well as two ex-presidents (Mr. J. Garrard and Mr. T. W. Keele). The Governor expressed pleasure at his reception, and said he was proud to perform the ceremony ot unveiling the rolls. If the guard of honor was a sample of the men who had left the office to fight, then the board had been well represented. He commended the board on its attitude towards soldier employees, and intimated that he intended to visit both Cataract and Cordeaux dams in the near future. His Excellency expressed keen interest in the board's work, and said he had been informed that there were over 2600 miles of water mains, and that the board received a revenue each year approximating that received by some of the smaller European States. "I unveil these honor and memorial rolls, and think that each of us should render homage to the men whose names appear thereon by lifting our hats each time we pass." he concluded. Kipling's "Recessional Hymn" was sung.

Mr. R. T. Ball, M.L.A., unveiled the memorial tablet erected to Major-General W. Holmes, C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D., who was killed by a bursting shell in France on July 2, 1917. General Holmes was secretary of the board from 1894 till 1917, and saw service in South Africa, New Guinea, Gallipoli, and France. General Holmes, said Mr. Ball, had been a soldier all his life. He was born in the military barracks at Dawes Point, and in his early years was a bugler. Mr. Ball suggested that it was the example of General Holmes that led so many of the members of the staff to enlist. Mr. H. Bryant, M.L.C., vice-president of the board, proposed a vote of thanks, to which the Governor responded. An inspection of the recently-completed head office building was afterwards made.
Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 30 August 1919.

Location

Details

Dedication