The Canadian soldier was posing for a photograph in a German bunker after the Paschandel's fight in November 1917.
The Canadian soldier was posing for a photograph in a German bunker after the Paschandel's fight in November 1917.
On October 26, 1917, Canadian soldier Thomas Holmes silenced a German bunker for which he found the Victory Cross, making him the youngest Canadian to receive the award.
Thomas William Holmes was born on October 14, 1898, in Montreal, Canada. He worked as a chicken collector for the butcher before entering the 31st grey regiment at the age of 17 on December 20, 1915. He reportedly lied about his age saying he was 18.
Thomas arrived in England on November 20, 1916 after training. In February 1917, his unit was dissolved and shifted to the 4th Battalion, the Canadian Mounted Rifle Regiment, with which he fought in the Battle of Wimi Ridge in April 1917.
On October 18, 1917, the Canadian Corps was transferred to the Battle of Paschandel in Flanders and was given the task of capturing Paschandel Ridge. On October 26, Canadians became aggressive and on this day it was that 19-year-old Thomas Holmes distinguished himself in the fight.
His quotation from the Victory Cross reads the following: "When the right flank of the Canadian attack was stopped from a fire of heavy machine gun from a strong point of the bunker and many casualties were creating a critical situation, private Homes, on its initiative and alone, advanced and he dropped two bombs, killing and injuring the crew of two machine guns. "He then took another bomb and threw it at the entrance of the bunker, allowing 19 occupants to surrender."
For his typical bravery in the fight, private Thomas William Holmes personally received King George V's victory cross at Buckingham Palace and Sergeant was promoted for action.
On receiving the award at the age of 19, Thomas Holmes was the youngest Canadian soldier to receive it.

Comments
Post a Comment
We can do better!