Frederick William Holmes VC (15 September 1889 – 22 October 1969) also known as F. W. Holmes, was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Biography

Early life

Holmes was born on 27 September 1889 in Bermondsey, London, England. He was educated at the local school run by the London School Board. In May 1914, he married Violet Imelda ( Daley); she was known as Margaret. After seven years service, he transferred to the Army Reserve.

On the first day of the Battle of Le Cateau, Holmes came across Bugler H. Norman Hawthorne, who was lying in the open with two broken legs. However, in October 1914, he was seriously wounded in the ankle during a counter-attack; this resulted in the army doctors at the dressing station wishing to amputate his leg but he refused. On 13 January 1915, he attended Buckingham Palace where he received his VC from King George V. He was assigned to the Infantry Record Office in October 1918. He also served in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. He retired from the British Army on 20 August 1921 due to ill health.

In addition to his Victoria Cross and Médaille Militaire, he ended his war service with the 1914 Star with Mons clasp, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal with Mentioned in Despatches oak leaf. However, during the Second World War, he voluntarily once more became a British Army officer and served in a number of administrative appointments in the United Kingdom until ill health led to his discharge in June 1943. This demonstration did not include the disappearance of the boy. In February 1919, Holmes presented a photograph he had taken of the trick at a meeting with members of The Magic Circle. It was examined by Robert Elliot, who stated it was not a demonstration of the Indian rope trick but an example of a balancing trick on a bamboo pole. Elliot noted that "the tapering of the pole is an absolutely clear feature and definitely shows that it was not a rope." Holmes later admitted this, however, the photograph was reproduced by the press in several magazines and newspapers as proof the trick had been successfully demonstrated. Although discredited, the photograph is considered to be the first ever taken of the trick.

References

Bibliography

  • Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes (biography)
  • Burial location of Frederick Holmes "South Australia"
  • [https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0rD2KbKXJ1w/UoDH8LfiKYI/AAAAAAAATWw/P0AKsUB2oSQ/w1077-h728-no/IMAG0459-MIX.jpg] "Official Imperial War Museum photo"