William Edward Holmes

Born in Barnard Castle, he enlisted as a Regular soldier in the DLI in 1907 and served in Ireland and at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle upon Tyne, before joining the 7th Battalion DLI at Sunderland in 1914 as an instructor.

From 1915 he was 7 DLI's Regimental Sergeant Major and in 1918 was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for delivering ammunition under heavy machine gun fire - "The horses of the limber were killed but he succeeded in getting the ammunition into the trench. The conduct of this Warrant Officer during the whole battle was exemplary".

William Holmes died in May 1920, aged 33, and is buried at St. Mary's, Barnard Castle.