Pte 270085 John Holmes

• Age: 28
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 9th April 1918
• Commemorated at: Cement House Cem, Langemarck
  Panel Ref: X.D.31

John Holmes was born 10th January 1890 in Liverpool and was baptised 22nd January 1890 at St Ambrose with All Saints Church, Everton, Liverpool. He was the son of Edward Holmes and his wife Margaret (née McEvoy) who were married on the 17th August 1874 at St Peter, Everton. Edward was a 20 year old iron moulder of 8 Prince Edwin St, father Samuel and iron turner, whilst Margaret was aged 19 of 13 Ebor St, father Michael a warehouseman. They had 13 children, five of whom died young. His surviving older siblings were Charlotte Harrison, George, Jane, Edward, and Margaret; he had younger siblings Elizabeth Ellen and Thomas. 
 
At the time of the 1891 Census the family live in court housing(2c h1), Clegg Street, Everton, with five children, including one-year old John. His father, aged 35, works as an iron moulder, mother is aged 33, other children George 13, Jane 11, Edward 10 and Margaret 7.  

At the time of the 1891 Census the family live in court housing(2c h1), Clegg Street, Everton, with five children, including one-year old John. His father, aged 35, works as an iron moulder, mother is aged 33, other children George 13, Jane 11, Edward 10 and Margaret 7.   

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 6, Abram Street, Everton, Liverpool. His father, Edward, is aged 45, born in Liverpool in 1856 is an iron moulder, his mother, Margaret, is aged 42, born 1859 in Liverpool and has no occupation listed. They have four children at the time of the Census, Maggie aged 17, born 1884 is a domestic help, John aged 12, born 1890, Lizzie aged 7, born 1894 and Tom aged 3, born 1898 and the children were all born in Liverpool.  They have a boarder named James Burns a widower aged 49, born 1852 in Liverpool and he is a railway carter.

His mother appears to have died in 1904 at the age of 46. (this was a Roman Catholic burial in Ford Cemetery as she was baptised Roman Catholic in 1854).

The 1911 Census shows John as a visitor at his brother’s address, 76 Louisa Street, Everton, Liverpool. His brother George is aged 33, born 1878 is working as an iron moulder and his wife Cecilia is aged 32 with no occupation listed and was born in Liverpool. At the taking of the Census they have five children, Margaret aged 10, born 1901 is at school, Richard aged 5, born 1896, George aged 4, born 1907,Cecil aged 2, born 1909 and Robert born 1911. John is now aged 20 and employed as a bag stitcher in a flour mill.

His widowed father, 53, is boarding with the Charles family at 86 China Street with youngest son Thomas, 13, who is at school.

His father died the following year, aged 54. 

John married Florence Jones at St Peter's Church, Everton, Liverpool on the 26th April 1912. He was living at 3 Bala street and gave his occupation as a Miller. They went on to have two children George Charles born on 24th October 1913 and  a further son John Edward who was born on 11th February 1916. 

Both children were baptised in St Ambrose, the same church as their father, the family residence at the time 65 St. Domingo Road, and John's occupation given as miller or bran packer.

He enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 270085 when he was killed in action on the 09^th April 1918, during the German Spring Offensive aged 28. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, John served for about 15 months before he was killed, enlisting, or being conscripted, in about January 1917.

The Battalion diary gives an insight into the events of the day:

3am Enemy shelled forward post with Trench Mortars and sector generally with Field Guns for about an hour.

Wire put out during the night 8^th/9^th round posts. Visibility bad during the day and little activity.  

Casualties: O.R. 2 Killed, 3 Wounded
The other fatality that day was Pte. 88135 Frederick J. Tall.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Weekly Courier on Saturday 01 June 1918;

FALLEN HEROES.

Pte John Holmes, King’s (Liverpool Regiment), aged 28 years, was killed in action on April 16th, 1918. he leaves a widow and two children residing at 70 Netherfield Road, Everton. He had been in France 16 months. Previous to joining up he was employed at Hutchinson's Flour Mills. [Edward Hutchinson, Flour Mills, Burlington street].

John was buried close to where he fell and after the war when graves were concentrated his body was removed and reinterred in Cement House Cemetery, Langemarck, Belgium.

"Cement House" was the military name given to a fortified farm building on the Langemark-Boezinge road. The original Cement House Cemetery was begun here at the end of August 1917, and in the years immediately following the Armistice, most of Plots II - XV were added when Commonwealth graves were brought in from the battlefields and small burial grounds around Langemark and Poelkapelle. There are now 3,592 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery, 2,425 of whom are unidentified, and 22 servicemen of WW2. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

John's sons were 4 and 2 years old when he was killed. Sadly, his eldest son George died in November 1918 when he was 5 years old.

He earned his two medals.

Soldiers effects  (which gives his date of death as 16th April 1918), Army Pay of £3 2s 3d and War Gratuity of £4-10s, went to his widow Florence. She was awarded a  pension of £1-5s-5d for herself and two children, at the time living in Magnum(?) Street, Everton. She later moved back to her family home in Higham Street.

Florence remarried to Robert Hunt on the 19th February 1921 at St Peter's Church, Everton. Bachelor Robert was a 32 year old fireman of 10 Holloway Street, his father, George, was a labourer, whilst widow Florence was aged 29, same address, her father, Lewis Oliver Jones, was a carter. 

They had two daughters, Nellie in 1922 and May in 1924.

In 1939 Florence and her husband (who worked in a flour mill) lived at 11 Priory Road with son John Edward Holmes, 23, a galvanizer, and daughters Nellie and May. 

Florence died in 1954, aged 63 and his son John in 1984, aged 68.

Sadly, John has not been found on any U.K. memorial.

We currently have no further information on John Holmes, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.