Lance Corporal, George Henry Cameron Holding (1748)
George Henry Cameron Holding was born in Northcote, Melbourne on the 19th of August 1898; son of Robert Holding he also had an older brother Norman who enlisted in November 1915, and was attached to the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. As a young man George worked on a rural property at Carapooee, south of St Arnaud in central Victoria (RSL-South Australia, 2017). Like his brother Norman he wanted to enlist but was well under age; to avoid this he made a false claim on his enlistment papers and stated his age as being 19 years and 3 months – he was in fact three years younger (Great War Forum, 2015). George enlisted in Warracknabeal and was assigned to the 4th Reinforcements attached to the 8th Battalion (Holding, 2017). George Holding spent his 17th birthday at Gallipoli, somewhere on the front line between Steele's Post and Brown Dip (Great War Forum, 2015). During his service he achieved the rank of lance corporal, the lowest of non-commissioned officers ranked in the Australian/ New Zealand Army - meaning he was ranked between private first class and corporal (Australian War Memorial, 2017).
Reference List
Great War Forum (2015) George Henry Cameron Holding; Accessed 6/9/17
Available at: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/topic/230886-dvr-george-henry-cameron-holding-1555-1748/
The Australian War Memorial (2017) Private George Henry Holding; Accessed 11/9/17 Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1836097RSL Virtual War Memorial |
RSL Virtual War Memorial (2017) George Henry Cameron HOLDING; Accessed 4/9/17.
Available at: https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/176999
The Australian Army (2017) Other Ranks; Accessed 11/9/17.
Available at: https://www.army.gov.au/our-people/australian-army-rank-structure/other-rank
George served a total of almost 6 years overseas serving in the forces, from November 1914 to the 23rd of March, 1919. As one of the men who enlisted early in the war, George was one of the first groups of soldiers to return to Australia. He departed England in January 1919 arriving back in Melbourne in March 1919. While he did not return home with any major injuries, like most men, he did catch influenza (RSL- South Australia, 2017).
George had no post war occupation as he spent a great deal of his time in Melbourne recovering from his experience in World War One. However, in April 1926, he married a local girl, Jean Isobel Kerr and over the ensuing years they had four sons. George passed away at the age of 72 on the 2nd October 1970. He is buried in the Linton cemetery alongside his wife of 44 years Jean Isobel Kerr who later died in 1989 at the age of 85 years. As of April 2016, George and Belle had four children, nine grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren and one great, great grandson (RSL-South Australia, 2017).
George Henry Cameron Holding(RSL-SA, 2017)
The Broadmeadows Training Camp, Melbourne. George standing (only man with a rifle) (RSL-SA, 2017)
George’s Passport (RSL-SA, 2017)