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 https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51448 He was a Driver with the 4th D.A.C.https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51219 According to his Soldier's Pay Books (Cat. No. 20112) Holmes Registration number was 7983. He was Catholic and enlisted in the Third Military District on 17 September 1915, and embarked on 8 November 1915. Holmes was in the 18th AASC Unit with the rank of Driver at that time. On 15 November 1918 Holmes was promoted to Lance Corporal. He received leave on: * 3 August 1917 - London (10 days) * 19 February 1918 - Paris (10 days) * 27 August 1918 - London (14 days) In 1922 Harry married Edith Pickford of 'Yeovil', Clunes, and they lived at 'Sauchieburn' with Henry's brother Willie. In 1933 Harry and Edith built a new timber home 'Launchley' (Ascot) on the rise east of 'Sauchieburn' on the Ballarat - Maryborough Road. The home was built by Con Zilles to the designs of Clegg and Morrow. In 1938 Harry and Edith purchased a property at Derrinallum, Victoria and called it 'Launchley Park' on their first son's return from World War 2. In 1953 Harry purchased William and Charlotte's portion of 'Sauchieburn' for his son, Bill, and daughter-in-law Margaret. [Source: Unpublished notes by Jane Dyer ( nee Chatham)]Sepia photographic postcard of a World War 1 Australian soldier in uniform, Henry Smerdon Holmes from Ascot Victoria.Verso in pen "The boys say this isn't to (sic) bad so it will show you any changes. Heaps of love to all. Harrychatham, chatham family collection, holmes, harry holmes, henry holmes, smerdon, world war, world war 1, world war i, uniform

Framed photograph of Henry Smerdon HolmesFramed photograph of Australian Army Servicemanchatham-holmes collection, holmes family, australian army, henry smerdon holmes, harry holmes, henry holmes, slouch hat, uniform, herbert werner frederick de nully

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. [Jane Dyer May 2024] Black and white photograph showing eight men outside a tent. They are most probably World War One soldiers in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). 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 including a Wrigley son, Ascot State School classmates and football mates from Clunes / Creswick districts. The man in the front row, second from the right is probably my great-grandfather Henry [Harry] Holmes. The man far left in the back row is probably his cousin, Samuel Gordon Spittle [Jane Dyer 2024]harry holmes, world war one, tent, aif, soldiers, uniform, henry smerdon holmes, sauchieburn, ascot, postcard

This set of photographs was found behind photograph #20316 when it was removed from its frame. The people shown are not identified. Thought that one maybe David Holmes and another Bill Holmes.Three small photographs of three soldiers set in brown patterned framing. The left one may be Henry Smerdon Holmes.chatham-holmes collection, soldiers, world war one, henry john holmes, jack holmes

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Heavy fighting took place during World War I due to the city's strategic location on the Sambre. This postcard was most probably purchased during an australian soldier during World War One.Black and white postcard depicting a cobbled street with horse drawn carriage and people gathered around a flag. charleroi, belgium, world war i, world war, henry smerdon holmes

The Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris. It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais and, with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government. (Wikipedia)Black and white postcard of a three storey chateau. It was the manor house Joséphine de Beauharnais who bought the house in April 1799 for herself and her husband, General Napoléon Bonaparte, the future Napoléon I of France.chatham-holmes family collection, rueil, napoleon, henry smerdon holmes

The Poultry Cross is a market cross in Salisbury, Wiltshire, marking the site of former markets. It was built in the 14th century and modified in the 18th century. It stands at the junction of Silver Street and Minster Street. The Poultry Cross is the only one remaining of four market crosses that once existed in Salisbury. The presence of a market cross on the Poultry Cross site dates to 1307 and the name to about a century later. The present stone structure was built in the late 15th century. The original flying buttresses were removed in 1711, as can be seen in the painting of 1800 by JMW Turner; the present buttresses date from 1852–4, when the upper parts of the cross were rebuilt to the designs of the architect Owen Browne Carter.Black and white postcard of the architectural feature known Poultry Cross Salisbury, and the street around it. chatham-holmes family collection, poutry cross, salisbury, henry smerdon holmes

Harry Holmes was from Ascot and was a member of the 18th Company Australian Army Service Corps. Photographic post card of the troopship Bahara A41This is the old "Bahara", A 41, passing down the canal on the way back to Australia. bakara troopship, harry holmes, world war one, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes family collection, henry smerdon holmes

Harry Holmes was from Ascot and was a member of the 18th Company Australian Army Service CorpsPhotograph of a ship the canal.A British monitor passing through the canal (blued out be censor)harry holmes, ship, canal, world war one, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes family collection, henry smerdon holmes

Harry Holmes was from Ascot and was a member of the 18th Company Australian Army Service CorpsPhotographic post card of a British Battleship sailing down the canal.A British Battleship sailing down the canalharry holmes, ship, canal, world war one, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes family collection, henry smerdon holmes

Harry Holmes was from Ascot and was a member of the 18th Company Australian Army Service CorpsPhotographic post card of an Australian troopship.An Australian Troopship, A 55, passing up the Canal.harry holmes, ship, canal, world war one, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes family collection, kyarra, henry smerdon holmes

Most probabaly purchased by Harry Holmes.World War One official war postcard showing Australians inUnifrom with guns and helmets. On back "These are the men who shortly after midnight on Sunday, July 23, 1916, took Pozieres by a splendidly dashing advance through shrapnel, shell and machine-gun fire.world war one, australian soldiers, pozieres, harry holmes, henry smerdon holmes

Harry Holmes was from Ascot and was a member of the 18th Company Australian Army Service CorpsColoured painting by A.R. Quinton on a post card from post war England.harry holmes, ship, canal, world war one, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes family collection, henry smerdon holmes

Henry John (Jack) Holmes of Ascot was the eldest son of Henry Smerdon and Edith (nee Pickford) Holmes and brother to William Smerdon [Bill], David Coghill and Elizabeth (m Chatham) On his return from serving in WW2, Jack with his father's help took up a Soldier Settler option and settled at Derrinallum on a portion of Mout Elephant. The holding was named "Launchley Park". Soldiers, like Jack with their families, helped swell the numbers in the district and aided the growth in the town and the services it could provide.Three photographs. .1) Black and white photograph of Henry John (Jack) Holmes from Ascot and then Derinallum .2) and .3) Jack Holmes. jack holmes, chatham-holmes collection, henry smerdon holmes, derrinallum, western desert ww2, soldier settlement, mount elephant

Ismalia is a city in north-eastern Egypt. It would have been part of a booklet available during World War One. A black and white postcard showing a row of double storey housed behind a row of trees. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham-holmes family collection, ismailia, egypt, world war one, world war

This card was most probably purchased by Harry Holmes while on service with the Australian Imperial Forces during World Way One.Black and white postcard showing a three story brick building. It is the Watter-mill, Le Moulin, Somme. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham - holmes family archive, chatham, holmes, harry holmes, world war, world war 1, world war one, world war i, france, somme, wtter-mill, meaulte, le moulin, amiens, aif

Black and white photographic postcard showing a lake with mountains in the background. The view is in the Northern Italy pre-Alps.This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham-holmes family collection, sogno, alps, italy, lombardy

A Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground, the Dickebusch Old Military Cemetery, is a burial ground for the dead of the First World War and the Second World War. It is located at Dickebusch in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front of the first war. Dickebusch (now Dikkebusch) is a village and commune in the Province of West Flanders, 5 kilometres South-West of Ypres on the road to Bailleul.Black and white photograph of a church with a steeple with a clocktower. The church was bombed in 1917 during World War One. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham-holmes family collection, dickebusch, belgium, ypres salient, dikkebusch, world war one

Edith Louisa Cavell (4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse and patriot. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested. She was subsequently court-martialled, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell)Black and White postcard showing the memorial erected in Brussels to Edith Cavell. A portrait of Edith Cavell in nurses uniform is inset. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. edith cavell, chatham-holmes family collection, nurse, world war one, world war, sculpture

Le Bizet is a village in the Belgian province of Hainaut . It lies in the district of Ploegsteert and is near the French border. This postcard was purchased by an Australian soldier during World War One. Black and white postcard showing houses in Le Bizet, Belgium in ruins after bombing during World War One. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham-holmes family collection, le bizet, belgium, ploegsteert, world war, world war 1, bombing, world war one, western front

St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery formerly resided at St John's Wood Barracks. The regiment moved to Woolwich on 6 February 2012; the barracks is to be demolished and developed as housing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John's_Wood)A number of uniformed men pose for a photograph in front of a weatherboard building. The image is of the "A" Squad Cadets at St John's Wood Barracks, London.This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. Verso: "A" Squad Cadets. St John's Wood Barracks, London, 12th March 1917chatham family collection, chatham, world, war, world war one, world war 1, world war i, france, harry holmes, holmes, st john's wood

Great Pulteney Street is a grand thoroughfare that connects Bathwick on the east of the River Avon with the City of Bath, England via the Robert Adam designed Pulteney Bridge. Famous former residents of the street have included the novelist Jane Austen and the anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce.A black and white postcard showing Great Pulteney Street in Bath. The street is lined with triple storey building. A fountain and small shelter is located in the foreground.This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One. chatham-holmes family collection, bath, gret pulteney street, fountain

This card was most probably sent from Harry Holmes to a family member in Ascot, Victoria during his overseas service during World War One.Black and white postcard with a photographic impression of London including Trafalagar Square. The postcard has writing on the back. This card was purchased by an Australian soldier, probably Henry Smerdon Holmes, during World War One and sent to his sister, Mary Coghill HolmesLondon 16.4.17 Dear Mary Received your welcome letter a few weeks back, pleased indeed to hear from you & to know that you were OK. Sorry I have been so long in answering it, but I suppose it is better late then never. Still in the same old job at present, but all 'A' class chaps are to go back to the units 20 per weeks, so it may not be very long before I will be having a move on, Girls seem to be taking the vacant gaps. chatham-holmes family collection, world war one, ascot, trafalgar square, london, holmes

On her husband, William's, death in 1914, Violet Holmes inherited 'Sauchieburn’ property in the Ascot District of the Wider Ballarat District, Victoria. Her ownership had descended via the Holmes Family from the pioneer district settler/squatter Captain William Coghill. In turn, the property on Violet's death was left to their family: Violet Spittle (nee Holmes), Mary Holmes, William E. Holmes and Henry Smerdon Holmes. I suspect this photo was sent to Violet Holmes Jnr (m Spittle) [Jane Dyer 2024]Photographic portrait of a girlVerso: Dear Mary, I am sending one of my photos and hope you will like it. Please get your taken and send me one and ask Violet and the boys also. Mother and Daphne send their love to all. From Iris.chatham-holmes family collection, family history, women

Edith Sarah Pickford was born and raised in Clunes, Victoria. She is the only daughter of John Pickford and Betsey (Robbins) Pickford and sister of Henry Pickford, John Pickford, William Harold Pickford, Horace Pickford DCM, Arthur Pickford and Charles Alexander Pickford. Edith's maternal grandmother was a descendent of Donald Cameron, the first recorded European settler in the Clunes area.The Pickford family's pioneer settler legacy in the Clunes- Glendaruel district is commemorated with a Pickford Road and displays in the Clunes Museum. A collection of Edith's song music was donated to the Clunes Museum by her great grand-daughter in 2023. Edith married a local farmer, Henry Smerdon Holmes from "Sauchieburn" Ascot, Victoria. Henry was a descendant of the family who had inherited their maternal ancestor's, Catherine Coghill (nee Holmes), Ascot - Coghills Creek property. This branch of the Coghill Family descended from the district's pioneer settler, Captain Coghill. Edith and Henry spent all their married life, and raised 4 children Jack [John], Bill [William], [Mary] Elizabeth and David, at Ascot. She was buried in the Coghills Creek Cemetery with her husband, Henry Smerdon Holmes, and their son, David, in 1967. Her children, Bill Holmes and Elizabeth Chatham, and their spouses are buried nearby.Social and historicalMounted black and white photo of a young girl wearing a white dress and ribbon.chatham holmes collection, holmes, pickford

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

Postcard sent from the French theatre of war during World War One by Harry Holmes. 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 Jane Dyer) White postcard with embroidery on white silk. The embroidery includes 5 flags (England, France, Italy, Belgium, Russia), a blue horseshoe, a green sprig rosemary and the words 'United We Stand".Verso: With best love from Harry 13/5/16chatham, chatham family collection, holmes, harry holmes, henry holmes, world war, world war 1, world war i, world war one.

David Coghill Holmes (1929- 1950) of Ascot was the youngest brother of Henry John (Jack), William Smerdon (Bill) and Mary Elizabeth Holmes (m M. E. Chatham 1932 - 2006) and son of Henry (Harry} Smerdon and Edith Holmes (nee Pickford)Black and white photograph of a man in coat, collar and tie. He is David Coghill Holmes as a young man. The Holmes family lived at Ascot, Victoria.harry holmes, ascot, holmes family collection, chatham-holmes collection

Soldier Harry Holmes of Ascot, Victoria sent this postcard to his family while serving in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) in France. 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 Jane Dyer) White Postcard with embroidery on white silk. The embroidery features green ivy leaves and red berries, and the words "Happy Christmas".Verso "All good wishes to all the dear ones at home for a happy Xmas and a bright New Year from Harry 11/11/16."chatham - holmes family archive, chatham, holmes, harry holmes, world war, world war 1, world war one, world war i, france, christmas