HENRY SMERDON (Harry) HOLMES was born in 1897 at the family property, ’Sauchieburn’, 17 km north of Ballarat, in the Ascot district. He was the youngest of four children. After finishing his education at St Patrick’s College, Ballarat, Henry joined the Holmes family farming interests. At the age of 18 he enlisted and served with AIF in Egypt, France and Belgium 1915-1918. Henry served at the famous battlegrounds of Ypes and Somme in the Australian Army 8th Battalion. He was a Driver with the 4th D.A.C. The postcard is of "The Ascot" boys. Includes [Samuel] Gordon Spittle, Henry [Harry] Holmes's first cousin, and other Ascot lads and district connections: neighbours, Ascot State School classmates and football mates from Clunes / Creswick districts. [Research by a granddaughter of Henry Smerdon Holmes, Jane Dyer (nee Chatham) 2024] Ray Blight and Gordon Les Sim were former students of the Ballarat School of Mines. Les Sim was associated with Sim and Co. hardware and wood merchants). Eight soldiers of the AIF. They are the tent mates of Harry Holmes a Driver with the 5th D.A.C. The names of the soldiers are John Raymond (Ray) Blight, Joseph Fawcett, John Joseph (Jack) Nase, Gordon Spittle, Harry Holmes, Harold Joseph Reid, James Leslie (Les) Sim, Leslie John Walters. handwritten in pen on verso "This is a snap of our tent mates. Reading left to right. Back row, Jack Nase, Joe Fawcett, H. Reid. Middle - Les Walters, Ray Blight, Gordon Les Sim, (Sim and Co wood merchants) and Harryworld war 1, chatham, jack nase, chatham family archive, joe fawcett, h. reid, blight, sim, les walters, ray blight, gordon les sim, pickford, world war, gordon spittle, harry holmes, les sim, horace pickford, world war one, aif, armed services

Newsclip on the ANZAC veterans from Ballarat.anzac, world war one, 18th australian army service corps, sydney rawlings, john brazenor, les sim, gordon spittle, harry holmes, arch gilbert, bob bradby, jack reid, joe fawcett, jack maas, chatham-holmes family collection, john atkinson, arthur oxbrow, ray vickery, tim eustace, dick redfern, world war 1, aif

Soft covered book of 242 pages. This book is a chronology of Gordon Spittle's war, what happens to him, where he goes and the people he meets. Spittle served with the 18 Company Australian Army Service Corps (AASC). Gift of Major Neil Leckie RFD (Ret'd)australian army service corps, s. gordon spittle, gordon spittle, world war one, ascot, allendale, william brazenor, harold joseph reid, james leslie sim, les sim, harry smerdon holmes, leslie john walter, jack nase, ray blight, john joseph nase, john raymond blight, frank thomas, baupaume, amiens, messines, somme, roy jackson, les vernon, violet spittle, leslie sim, harry holmes, violet holmes