William Smerdon Holmes married Violet Mary Macfie (1859 – 1942) on 9 April 1890 at Geelong. William and Violet lived at "Sauchieburn", Ascot on the 291 ha (720 acre) property that William inherited from his aunt Catherine Coghill (nee Holmes). William and Violet Holmes had four children: • Violet Catherine (1891- 1949) married Samuel Gordon Spittle 11 August 1920; Mary Coghill (1892 - 1979); • William Edward (1894 - 1964) married Charlotte Anne Alexander 20 June 1933; • Henry Smerdon (1897 - 1954) married Edith Sarah Pickford 28/2/1922. William Smerdon Holmes was the grandfather of Henry John (Jack) Holmes (1922-1972) William Smerdon Holmes (1927-1993), David Coghill Holmes (1929-1950) and Mary Elizabeth Chatham (Elizabeth) (nee Holmes) (1932 - 2006). William Smerdon Holmes died in June 1914 and is buried at the Ballarat New Cemetery. A black and white photograph glued into card. It shows a moustached man in coat, collar, tie and tie-pin. It is William Smerdon Holmeschatham family archive, chatham, holmes, william holmes, william smerdon holmes, ascot, sauchieburn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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