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Auction: 8010 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 237

A Great War Group of Three to Private H.T. Holland, King´s Royal Rifle Corps, Killed in Action, 16.5.1916 1914 Star, with Bar (Y-1450 Pte. H. Holland. 1/K.R.Rif:C.), slightly worn; British War and Victory Medals (Y-1450 Pte. H. Holland. K.R.Rif.C.), very fine or better (3) Estimate £ 160-200 Y/1450 Private Henry Thomas Holland, born Paddington, London; served during the Great War with the 1st Battalion King´´s Royal Rifle Corps on the Western Front from 9.11.1914; he was killed in action 16.5.1915; in early May, having just seen heavy action at Neuve Chapelle, the 1st Battalion were in action during the battle of Festubert, the Battalion War Diary entry for 13th - 17th May 1915 gives the following, ´´13th Festubert, battalion took over trench sector from the Inniskilling Fusiliers, bombardment began.... 14th lost one man in bombardment... 15/16th battalion is detailed for assault on German trenches at 11.30pm that day. The objective was the capture of the German front line opposite Ferme du Bois, distance to the enemy trenches 350 yards. At 11.30pm the first line advanced in quick time, followed at a distance of 40 paces by the second line. The third line, "C" company deployed as soon as storming companies started. For fully 5 minutes from 11.30pm to the hour of the advance to begin, nothing was visible, the Germans fired no lights and there was nothing more than the usual sniping. Then a burst of fire broke out mostly on our left and the enemy began to send up lights in all directions. One could see them silhoutted against the lights and our front line, which appeared to be quite close to the German trench. The whole space between the lines was dotted with men, some lying on the ground but the majority advancing. We were in the German trenches by 2am. 16th May, heavy casualties, fighting all day relieved at 2am 17th May´´; during the assault on the trenches at Ferme de Bois on the Somme, the battalion suffered 307 killed, missing or wounded; Holland is commemorated on Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

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