Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An early and rare Great War ‘Defence of Great Britain’ M.C. group of four awarded to Captain R. C. L. Holme, Royal Flying Corps, late Somerset Light Infantry, who distinguished himself in the fight against raiding Zeppelins with 39 (Home Defence) Squadron, alongside such pilots as ‘Bomber’ Harris and William Leefe-Robinson. Transferring to 33 Squadron, Holme crashed on take-off whilst attempting to intercept one of the 16 airships intent on raiding London - one of which, SL11, was shot down by Leefe-Robinson during his V.C. winning exploits on 2-3 September 1916.

Holme suffered badly both physically and mentally as a result of his crash - having to be removed from underneath his burning aircraft. Despite these setbacks, he went on to be posted to France as a Flight Commander with 29 Squadron and gained ‘Ace’ status in SE.5a single seater fighters during 1918. Holme survived the War, only to tragically die as a result of injuries and burns sustained as a passenger in a Vickers Vernon which crashed in Baghdad in October 1922

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (2. Lieut. R. C. L. Holme. Som. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Capt. R. C. L. Holme. R.A.F.) generally very fine or better (4) £3,000-£4,000

Dix Noonan Webb, September 2000.

M.C. London Gazette 24 January 1917 (Home Honours):
‘For valuable services rendered in connection with the War.’

One of a handful of known ‘Home Defence’ gallantry awards for the Air Defence of Great Britain during the Great War, five of which were awarded in respect of gallantry during 1916 and 1917 - these including a V.C., a D.S.O., a Second Award Bar to the M.C., and 2 M.C.’s (the latter including Holme’s award). These early awards were for actions against Zeppelins, whilst the remainder were primarily for actions against Giants and Gothas in 1918.

M.I.D. London Gazette 25 January 1917:
‘For distinguished services rendered in connection with the War.’

Robert Charles Lyon Holme was born in Reading, Berkshire, in November 1896, and in his youth resided in Norton-sub-Hampden, Somerset, and Barnes, London. He was educated at Repton and Sandhurst, and was commissioned into Prince Albert’s Somerset Light Infantry 11 November 1914, the day after his 18th birthday. Holme served with the Regiment in France from December 1914 to March 1915. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps later that year, and despite being initially seconded as an Observer to 16 Squadron, Holme qualified on a Maurice Farman for Aviator’s Certificate No. 1665 at the British Flying School, Le Crotoy, on 28 August 1915. He had already been in combat with 16 Squadron, with Second Lieutenant H.M. Goode as his pilot, on 17 June 1915. On this date the pair carried out a reconnaissance in a BE.2a over Seclin, armed only with an automatic rifle, when they engaged an Aviatik bi-plane:

'The German machine was first seen going south over Gondecourt, where upon we changed our course in order to get within range – when within about 200 yards we made a sharp turn heading north and opened fire, we followed him as far as Loos firing all the time. By then he had increased his lead to some 1,000 yards and was losing height rapidly, we then turned and continued our reconnaissance. During the later point of the combat we were in range of the Lille anti-aircraft guns which had opened an ineffective fire.' (Combat Report refers)

A ‘Dash’ with ‘Bomber’ Harris

Holme was officially seconded as a Flying Officer (Observer) in the Royal Flying Corps in September 1915, and left 16 Squadron the same month. He was posted for Home Defence duties, for the defence of Great Britain, in December 1915. Holme carried out further training as a pilot, and served with 39 (Home Defence) Squadron (BE.2cs) at Sutton’s Farm and Hainault Farm, Hounslow. By the start of the new year, he was up in the air trying to intercept Zeppelins:

‘On the night of 25/26 April 1916, one of Holme’s squadron colleagues, Captain A. T. Harris, became the first to use the new and still experimental Brock explosive bullets against a raiding Zeppelin (LZ97). (Harris would gain undying fame in the Second World War as ‘Bomber’ Harris). Soon after closing with LZ97, Harris’ Lewis gun jammed and whilst he was clearing it, the Zeppelin slipped away into the surrounding gloom. Holme and another colleague spied the same Zeppelin in the distance, coned in the light of searchlights, but it was too far away to be caught.’ (The Military Cross to Flying Personnel of Great Britain and the Empire 1914-1919, by H. Giblin and N. Franks refers)

Holme, Harris and one Lieutenant W. Leefe-Robinson (later V.C.) had attempted an attack on one of five raiding Zeppelins that night. Both Harris and Leefe-Robinson were unsuccessful, and Holme took up the pursuit. However, he encountered a fuel problem and was forced to make a dead-stick landing at Chingford.

Hunting Zeppelins with Leefe-Robinson

Holme advanced to Temporary Captain, and transferred as a Flight Commander to 33 Squadron (BE.2cs) at Bramham Moor. The Squadron was engaged on Home Defence duties, protecting the Midlands and the North against Zeppelin raids. On the night of 28-29 July 1916, the Squadron received information from the Humber Garrison Commander that hostile airships (six Imperial Navy Zeppelins) had been sighted 40 miles east of the mouth of the Humber proceeding due west. At this time, however, a thick fog in the vicinity of the aerodrome precluded any attempt being made to despatch aeroplanes. At 2 a.m. a further report was received of a Zeppelin proceeding from Driffield towards Hull. The weather being slightly clearer by this time, Lieutenant Holme was the only pilot to ascend from Bramham Moor, but at 3,500 feet above the aerodrome could barely see the landing flares and as the fog was becoming thicker he was forced to descend. So bad was the weather that he was forced to abandon his attempt to stalk Kapitanleutnant Koch’s L24, which had been reported in the Hull area.

On the night of 2-3 August 1916, six Zeppelins raided England, whilst the Squadron was operating from Beverley. Although the German force confined their raid to the eastern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, 33 Squadron sent out a protective patrol over Hull and the Humber. Holme took off at 2.25 am and patrolled towards Driffield, then turning south he circled round Hull at 10,000 feet. Visibility was bad and he could see nothing on his own level, so descending to 8,000 feet he went out over Hedon to the coast and followed it north to Atwick, where Holmes stated: 'I now saw a searchlight at Beverley giving me the pre-arranged signal that all was over, accordingly I throttled to come down. My lights had gone out and wishing to keep my headlamp until near the ground I came down without it to 4,000 feet. When trying my engine I got into a mild nose dive but came out of it all right and landed without damage at 3.35 am.’

Exactly one month later, on the night of Leefe-Robinson’s V.C. victory over SL11, Holme crashed on take-off in BE.2c 2661 at one o’clock in the morning whilst attempting to intercept Zeppelin 122 which had bombed Humberston. That night (2-3 September), 16 airships had set out on a combined raid with London as the target. One, the L22, crossed the coast at Skegness, turned north and carried out a flight over Lincolnshire and Yorkshire without any apparent objective, evidently having abandoned any intention of making for London. Holme took off in BE.2c No. 2661 in an attempt to intercept the raider, but crashed on take off from Beverley. The Zeppelin, after dropping three H.E. bombs in open fields at Flinton, went out to sea at Aldbrough.

Holme’s determination in the defence of Great Britain was recognised with the award of the Military Cross, and he was Mentioned in Despatches and promoted Captain. His crash on take off lead to him being wounded - this being noted in his medical notes as follows:

‘Captain Holme has been under my observation for some time. He had a bad crash a year ago (Sept. 1916) when he was removed from under a burning aeroplane, I consider that prolonged rest would be beneficial'.

France - Back on the Offensive

On his return to France in May 1918, Holme joined 29 Squadron (SE.5a fighters) as a Flight Commander, and on 2 July 1918, he destroyed a Fokker DVII biplane:

‘At 8.25 pm a patrol of 4 led by Capt. R.C.L. Holme was dived on by 7 Fokker bi-planes. In the ensuing dogfight Capt. Holme fired 100 rounds at close range into one of the E.A. E.A. immediately dived vertically, did a complete turn, and continued diving – engine apparently full on, judging by the speed. Capt. Holme lost sight of E.A. at about 2000 ft. as he had to turn to attack another E.A. Confirmed by A.A. As having crashed near Merris.’ (Combat Report refers)

Recent literature gives this as the first of Holme’s five (in some cases four) victories; however, his original recommendation (dated 27 September 1918) on posting home from the Expeditionary Force to Home Establishment (held in the National Archives, his original Officers service file) by the Commanding Officer of 29 Squadron, gives him with three destroyed and five forced down out of control. This would suggest that he was an ‘Ace’, with at least five, if not eight, aerial victories.

Regardless of the conjecture of above, the following are confirmed by combat reports throughout July 1918:

On 14 July he destroyed a kite balloon: ‘At 9.50 am Capt. R. C. L. Holme, M.C. While on offensive patrol saw an enemy balloon at 2,500ft. Capt. Holme dived on the balloon and fired 250 rounds into it from 300 to 50 yards range. The balloon was hauled down rapidly, with smoke issuing from it, and when near the ground seen by Capt. T.S. Harrison to burst into flames.’

On 28 July, he was credited with a two-seater driven down out of control at Merville: ‘At 8.15 am while on line patrol, Capt. Holme and Lieut. H. C. Rath engaged an E.A. two-seater with silver top planes and a yellow fuselage over S.W. Merville at 1,000ft. Capt. Holme dived on E.A. which flew S.W. - fired 50 rounds at close range then had a jamb. Lieut. Rath then dived and fired 50 rounds at E.A. at close range. E.A. side-slipped steeply into thick mist covering the ground, being last seen at 100ft. Still going down between Merville and Venant.’

On 31 July, Holme and Rath were both credited with sharing a two-seater destroyed at Estaires: ‘While on W.E.A. Capt. R. C. L. Holme, M.C. and Lieut. H. C. Rath engaged 2 2-seater's E. of Merville at 2,500ft. Capt. Holme fired 150 into the first, and Lt. Rath 100 rounds; whereupon it went down and crashed N.E. Of Estaires.’

On 1 August 1918, Holme met a D.F.W. over Bailleul and, chasing it eastwards, sent it down out of control at Steenwerck, again in conjunction with Rath, and this should have been a 'shared' victory between them, but was credited to Rath. The Combat Reports give the following: 'Capt. R. C. L. Holme and Lieut. H.C. Rath engaged an E.A. 2 seater at 3,000ft over Bailleul and chased it down eastwards. Capt. Holme fired 100 rounds and then pulled out owing to engine failure Lieut. Rath followed closely on tail of E.A. firing about 100 rounds. E.A. went out of control over Steenwerck, but was not seen to crash owing to mist.’

Holme continued to lead his men from the front, and on 16 September 1918, he and Captains Hoy and Largesse led a force of 14 aircraft. Flying at 7,000ft, they encountered 8 DVIIs and one Fokker Triplane flying towards Menin from Armentieres. Five minutes later they were joined by 6 more DVII's that dived out of the sun on the SE.5a's over Comines. Shortly after 3 more DVIIs descended from 13,000ft to take part in this hot 42 minute 'dogfight.' Claims by the SE5 Pilots amounted to 7 Fokkers destroyed. (extract from “Jasta 7 under 'Robes' part 2”, by S. T. Lawson refers)

On 28 September, Holme and Second Lieutenant Parks fired 800 rounds into infantry east of Staden from 1,000ft, leading to the troops scattering. The following day Holme’s luck almost ran out whilst carrying out an offensive patrol east of Houthulst Forrest. His aircraft was hit by ground machine gun fire, and although he staggered back to the lines, he had to crash land in some shell holes and was very lucky to get into the front line trenches. He had to abandon his aircraft due to the proximity of the enemy.

His aforementioned Commanding Officer’s report, made the day before this incident, gives the following:

‘This Officer has been flying 3.5 years – 5 months as Observer in 1915 and 2 years on Home Defence work in England. During this latter period Capt. Holme crashed badly several times – one in particular causing a severe nervous breakdown (his medical report states in Sept. 1916 he was removed from under a burning aeroplane). Captain Holme has now served 5 months with this unit. He has done excellent work and in my opinion should now be posted to H.E.’

He also noted ‘number of E.A. destroyed – 3, number of E.A. brought down Out of Control – 5.’

Holme resigned from the Regular Army on 1 August 1919, on being granted a Permanent Commission in the Royal Air Force. He went to Iraq as a Flight Lieutenant and died in Baghdad on 4 October 1922 from injuries and burns sustained in the crash of a 1 Squadron Vickers Vernon in which he was a passenger - the aircraft having taken off with its controls locked in.

Flight Lieutenant Holme is buried in the Ma’asker, Al Rischid R.A.F. Cemetery, Baghdad, and a memorial was dedicated to him at Norton-Sub-Hampden.

Sold with an extensive file of copied research, including: photographic images of recipient; Aviators’ Certificate; Casualty Forms/Reports; London Gazette/T.N.A. detail showing “Home Honours”; Service Papers; M.I.C.; Combat Reports; Action Reports on Hostile Air Raids on U.K.; Squadron Record Books and articles on 29 Squadron, and 'Jasta 7', etc.