| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Private George William Holmes, aged 30, received unspecified but serious shrapnel wounds in the autumn of 1918, he was not released from military hospital until Jun 1919. By this time he had been awarded the Silver Badge and was formally discharged on 27 Mar 1919. He enlisted on 24 Jun 1916 and joined the newly-formed Machine Gun Corps. He had been wounded once before as the Beverley Guardian of 21 Jun 1919 noted. George was awarded the War and Victory Medals.
George was born in Beverley the 9 Sep 1888 and baptised at Beverley Minster the 24 Mar 1889. His father was George Whiting Holmes and his mother Elizabeth Waite. Both of his parents died in 1915 just before George enlisted. His father was a whiting works labourer and George too followed this occupation, after the war became the manager at Victoria Whiting Works, Beverley. George was one of nine children. The family lived at Rose of Sharon Cottage, Butt Lane, not far from the whiting works. On 18 Apr 1912 George married Lily Bolton at Beverley Minster. Originally from Hull but living at St Giles Croft Lily was born in 1888. They did not have any children. They lived at Victoria Cottages, near Victoria Barracks. George was described as being “well known about the town” and was involved in many local organisations such as the Beverley Druids Friendly Society.
After the war the couple lived at 2 Denton Street and later at 6 Grosvenor Place. However George “suffered a great deal” from his wounds and they moved to the Lancaster/Morecambe area for health reasons. George became a “process worker” at the Messrs Lansil Ltd textile mill and was also active in local affairs: he was an ARP warden in WW2 and in the Royal and Ancient Order of Buffaloes and TocH. His hobby was gardening. On 13 Nov 1942 he was taken ill and died the following day. Lily died in Lancaster in 1975.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |