HOLDING Samuel

A photograph of Private S. Holding can be found in Berrow’s Worcester Journal Supplement, Saturday 11th March 1916, available at Worcestershire Archives.

The following information has been researched by Geoff Hill:
1901 Census
The Holding family (including Samuel) are living at 23 Pheasant Street, Worcester.
On the 7th June 1906 Samuel married May Evans.

1911 Census
11 Dent Street, Worcester
Samuel Holding, aged 30, skin yard labourer
At the same address: May (wife) and 3 daughters.

The Medal Roll Index Card for Samuel Holding record that he entered active service overseas in the Balkans Theatre of War on 17th July 1915.

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by British, Empire and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on the 25th – 26th April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On the 6th August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916.

The 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment was engaged in the Battle of Krithia Vineyard, which opened on 6th August 1916, in particular the attack on Fir Tree Spur. Originally devised as a diversionary action to deflect Turkish Ottoman attention away from the forthcoming relief landing at Suvla Bay, it developed into a further attack on Krithia (Alcitepe). The attack began with British regiments capturing some of the Turkish trenches before being forced back with heavy casualties.

It is possible that Samuel Holding was wounded in this action and subsequently died of wounds.