Wing Commander William Tatham HOLMES (19053)
Royal Air Force attached to the Fleet Air Arm

Date of birth: 2nd July 1905
Date of death: 8th February 1941

Killed on active service aged 35
Buried at Arbroath Western Cemetery Compt D North Border Grave 7
He was born at the British Consulate at Ajaccio, Corsica on the 2nd of July 1905 the only son of William James Holmes, Consul, and Aileen (nee Tatham) of "Fairmead", Gunters Lane, Bexhill-on -Sea, Kent.

He was educated at Lynchmere School, Eastbourne and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1919 to December 1923 where he was in Holme House. In 1923 he was a house monitor, played for the Rugby XV and rowed in the IV. He played in the Kent Public Schools Rugby Trials in 1923/24.

On leaving school he joined the Royal Air Force and was granted a short service commission as a probationary Pilot Officer on the 15th of July 1924 and after training he was posted to a fighter squadron. On the 15th of January 1925 he was confirmed in his rank and he was promoted to Flying Officer on the 15th of February 1926. Later in 1926 he was posted to India where he served with a bomber squadron and at the aircraft depot in Karachi. He returned to the UK in 1928 where he specialised at the Electrical and Wireless School and later served as a Signals Officer at a home station. He was granted the Freedom of the City of London on the 14th of December 1928. In May 1929 he was elected as a member of the Royal Aero Club. He was granted a permanent commission with the rank of Flying Officer on the 1st of September 1929 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on the 5th of March 1930 resuming flying duties with a fighter squadron in 1933. He was posted in 1934 to a Fleet Air Arm squadron on HMS Courageous and in 1937 he was appointed to the Staff College. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on the 1st of February 1937. On leaving the college he joined the staff of the Directorate of Operations in the Air Ministry. On the 1st of March 1940 he was promoted to Wing Commander and was stationed for a while at Tangmere. He was later attached to the Fleet Air Arm as Fleet Aviation Officer, Home Fleet.

He was married to Barbara Hazard (nee Edwards later Legg) and they lived at 620, Rodney House, London SWI.

On the 8th of February 1941 William Holmes planned to deliver urgent despatches from the Commander in Chief, Rosyth from Donibristle to the Fleet Air Arm Section at Evanton. He was to fly Gloucester Sea Gladiator Mk1 N5545 which, by chance, needed to be ferried to that airfield. The weather along the route was very poor with low cloud and poor visibility and he studied the weather reports at 8am, 9am and 1am as well as discussing them with Aerodrome Control Officer, Lieutenant Gardner and Lieutenant Tapper of 782 (Communications) Squadron, who had just returned from an unsuccessful attempt to make the same journey in a Percival Proctor. Tapper was of the opinion that it would be extremely difficult to get through to Evanton under the clouds and that a pilot would wither have to go over or through the weather to get there, where the sky was clear. Holmes decided that he would try and took off at 11.03am.

At 11.42am the aircraft crashed at speed into a hillside, some two hundred yards to the west of Lour House Farm, three miles to the south of Forfar. William Holmes was found dead in the wreckage. His death was reported by Surgeon Commander Mather of the Royal Naval Air Station, Montrose. The local police were instructed to recover the despatches, which they did, and they were flown to their destination the next day.

His wife received the following telegram dated the 11th of February 1941 at her home, 903 Hood House, Dolphin Square, London SW1: - "Deeply regret to inform you that your husband Wing Commander William Tatham Holmes is reported to have lost his life as the result of an aircraft accident on 8th February 1941. Letter to follow. The Air Council express their profound sympathy."

His funeral took place at 2.30pm on the 11th of February 1941.
Holme House

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