Download pdf - Company Sergeant Major Walter Holwill (10261) of the 8th

Walter Holwill 1873 -1916

CompanySergeantMajorWalterHolwill(10261)ofthe8thBattalion,DevonshireRegimentwasbornatStMichael’sMount,Cornwallin1873.Hewas43whenhe

diedinGravesend,Englandon22July1916ofwoundsreceivedatMametz.HewasmarriedtoElizabethFrancesHolwillofMoorView,Brentorandwasthe

fatherofFrancisWalter,VioletMoriaandEdwardJohn.HewasawardedtheMilitaryCross:Forconspicuousgallantryduringanattack.

Whenalltheofficersofhiscompanyhadbecomecasualties,hetookcommandandablyledthecompanyunderheavyfire.(LondonGazette27July1916)

Walter JamesHolwill, the fifth sonof JosiahandRhoda (Hodge),wasbornon15thMarch1873,whenhismotherwasworkingasaschoolmistressonSt.Michael’sMount.Hisfatherhadavarietyofjobs,fromshoemaker,torepairerofclocksandwatches,tomusicteacher!HissisterwasSarahJane1859-andhisbrotherswereJosiah1863-1923,Frank1865-1948,Edwin1866-1909andJohn1869-.

Inthe1881Censushewas8yearsoldandlivingat34UnionLanesinTormoham,Torquaywithhiswidowedfather,JosiahHolwill,a53yearoldteacherofmusic.JosiahhadbeenborninDenburyinDevonandWalter’splaceofbirthwasgivenasStMichael’sMount,Cornwall.

In 1891Walterwas a grocer’s apprentice aged 19, living at 1 Bedford Terrace in the StMary’sChurchdistrictinTorquay.Hehadjoinedthe5thVolunteerBattaliontheDevonshireRegiment,apart-timeunit,arolethathepresumablyenjoyed,ason23rdJune1891hesignedontoserveforthefull21yearsintheDevonshireRegimentasaregularsoldier.AftertrainingatthebarracksinExeterhewouldhavebeenpostedtooneofthetworegularbattalions,almostcertainlythefirst.He served through the NorthWest Frontier of India campaign of 1897-8, as well as the SouthAfricanWar1899-1902.Hewasoneof thedefenders at Ladysmith. The regimentalmuseumatTheKeepinDorchesterhasrecordsoftheDevonshires'involvementinIndiaandSouthAfrica

Hedidwell inthearmybecausebythetimehereceivedthe IndianGeneralServiceMedalwithtwoclaspsforservinginthePunjabFrontierandTirahcampaigns1897/98hewasalreadyaLanceSergeant.AtthetimehewasawardedtheQueen’sSouthAfricamedalwithElandslaagteclasphewas a sergeant. Walter returned to England to attend a small arms course at the School ofMusketry.

Onthenightofthe1901censushewasa27yearoldstudentattheSchoolofMusketryinHytheSt Leonard in Kent. His wife Elizabeth was 24 and living in army accommodation for theDevonshireRegimentatStPeter’sBarracksinStPeter,Jersey.

By 1911 the family were back in England, living at 26 Corporation Buildings, Morice Square,Devonport.Walterwas coming to the end of his engagement andwas now a Colour Sergeantworkingas recruitingofficer for theDevons.Walter,was38,andhiswifeof10years,ElizabethFranceswas34andhadbeenborninMoira,CoDown.TheymusthavebeennewlymarriedwhenElizabethwasinJersey,whichwasthebirthplaceoftheireldestchild,FrancisWalter,aged9.Theirdaughter Violet Moria (named after her mother’s birthplace) was 6 and had been born inRanikhet,BengalinIndia.OncensusnighttheyhadavisitorSarahMorrisona35yearolddomesticservantfromMoira,CoDown.ShewasprobablyafriendorrelativeofElizabeth’s.In1901shehadbeenindomesticservicefortheShurleyfamilyinNewWindsor.

This fascinating record of the varied birthplaces of his children and his wife gives some of thedetailofthepostingsinWalter’sarmycareerintheDevonshireRegiment.BytheSummerof1912hehadcompletedhis21yearsarmyserviceandhemovedfirstlytoLydfordandthenshortlyafter


toMoor View, Brentor. Both Violet and Francis joined Brentor School on 9 Sept 1912.Walterjoined the clerical staff at Ward & Chowen, auctioneers, then operating from Burnville. Thefollowingyearin1913theirsecondsonEdwardJohnwasborn.

Walter settled quickly into village life andwas instrumental in the forming of the Brentor andDistrictminiaturerifleclubinFebruary1914,whichhadover30membersandashootingrangeintheOldQuarrybyBrentorStation.HewasamemberoftheMasons.

WhenwarbrokeoutWalter volunteered to rejoinhisold regiment.Newbattalionswerebeingraisedandanucleusofofficersand seniorNCOs fromthe1st formed the8th (Service)Battalionwhichwas raisedatExeteron19August1914aspartofKitchener’sFirstNewArmy,withmencoming mostly from the West Country. In May 1915 they left the Division, having completedtraining, but a lack of ammunition delayed them and it was not until 26 July 1915 that theyproceededtoFrance,landingatLeHavre,WalterwiththerankofCQMSTheywerejoinedbytheirfellowbattalionthe9th.Onthe4August1915theyjoinedthe20thBrigade,7thDivisionandsawactionattheBattleofLoosandsufferedmanycasualties.AfteraperiodofcomparativecalmtheywerereadytobeattheforefrontattheSomme.

OnJuly1stat06.30AandCcompanieswent“overthetop.”WalterwasnowCompanySergeantMajorofBCompanyinreserveandheledhismenuptotheforwardtrench.TheadvancetroopsweredecimatedbyGermanfire.Atabout10.30on1July1916ordersreachedthe8thBattaliontoadvanceandBCompanywent forward to fill thegapbetween theGordonsand9thDevons.MovingpastManselCopse itwascaughtbymachine-gunfire:CaptainMahaffy, itscommander,wasbadlywoundedandbefore longall itsofficersweredown,and ithadbeenheldup.WalterHolwill tookchargeandralliedtheremainingmenand ledthemforwarduntil theyreachedandcaptured theGerman front line. They sustainedheavy casualties, among themWalterwhowasseverelywoundedwithagunshotwoundinhislefthip.Thestretcherbearersmanagedtogethimback to theBritish linesandafter4days in the casualty systemhewas repatriated toEngland.UnfortunatelyhesuccumbedtosepsisandhiswoundsanddiedattheYachtClubV.A.DHospital,Gravesendon22ndJuly1916.HisdeathwasregisteredinGravesendandhisbodywasreturnedtoBrentorforburialinChristChurchchurchyard.


ThefuneraltookplaceatChristChurchon25thJuly1916atwhichalargenumberoffriendsandcolleagueswerepresent.TheservicewasconductedbytheBrentorvicar,RevAlfredApps,whointhecourseofanaddressspokeveryhighlyofWalter,touchingonhisindividualqualities,andasabrightexampletotheyounggeneration.MrsE.JRicepresidedattheOrganandplayedtheDeadMarchin“Saul”.Thebearersweresixsergeantsfromhisoldregiment,andtwobuglersfromtheDevonshireregimentsoundedthelastpostatthegraveside.Whilsttheservicewastakingplace,thebiggunsinOkehamptonweredistinctlyheard,givingarealisticideaofafuneralattheFront.

HisgravestonereadsGreaterlovehathnomanthanthisthatamanlaydownhislifeforhisfriends.

HeandhiswifeElizabethFranceshadthreechildren.FrancisWalter(1901-1966)bornatStPetersBarracks, Jersey;VioletMoria (1905-1975)bornRanikhetBengal, India:andEdwardJohn (1913-1968)bornBrentor.

Allthreechildrenwereaccomplishedmusicians.FrancisdidarecitalwithBillWoollacotttoraisemoneyforrepairstoChristChurchin1915andplayedthefluteattheunveilingofthememorialtothefallenattheChapelatLydfordStationin1920.Inhisinformalwill,drawnuponhisdeathbed,WalterlefthismedalstoFrancisandtheremainderofhispropertytohiswife.

Elizabeth was a midwife working with Dr Postlethwaite. She was 72 when she died on 28September1948atMoorView,Brentor.Shewasburiedwithherhusbandandwasrememberedonhergravestone:Shethoughtofallthelittlethings.