Years of service 1911 - 1945 Died 1969 Allegiance United Kingdom | Rank General Name William Holmes | |
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Commands held 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment8th Infantry Brigade42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry DivisionX CorpsBritish Troops in EgyptNinth Army Battles/wars First World WarSecond World War Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the British EmpireCompanion of the Order of the BathDistinguished Service Order & Bar | ||
Lieutenant General Sir William George Holmes KBE CB DSO and Bar (20 August 1892 – 16 January 1969) was a British Army officer of the Second World War.
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Early life
Holmes was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and the Royal Military Academy.
Military career
Holmes was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1911 and served throughout the Great War, during which he was mentioned in despatches four times and received the DSO and bar, and the Italian silver medal for valour. In 1921 he served in Waziristan.
In 1933 Holmes became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. Promoted to colonel the same year, he was given a general staff position in the Northern Command in 1934 and given command of the 8th Infantry Brigade, part of the 3rd Infantry Division, in 1935. In 1937, he became the British Army's youngest major-general, and in 1938 got his first divisional command, the Territorial Army 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. Holmes commanded the 42nd Division in France in 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force.
Following the fall of France and the retreat and evacuation from Dunkirk, Holmes was promoted to lieutenant-general and given command of the newly formed X Corps in Syria and North Africa in June 1940.
In November 1941 Holmes became General Officer Commanding the British Troops in Egypt, in addition to his responsibilities as commander of X Corps. In August 1942 he became General-Director of Transportation at the War Office. Holmes's last command was the Ninth Army, based in Palestine and Transjordan, a command he held from September 1942 until his retirement in 1945.