WW1 Frederick George Holland (57847)

Frederick was born on 4th September 1891, the younger son of John and Emily Holland of Tuakau and 20 Station Road (now Ohinerau St), Remuera, Auckland.

Fred’s older brother Major George Henry Holland, M.C. (Service number 12/373) also fought and died in World War I and his sister who became Mrs J. Baker lived at The Drive, Epsom and at Ohinerau Street. He was a bushman at Omaio in the Bay of Plenty working for Mr Vickridge, when he attested for war service on 5 July 1917.

He embarked on the RMS Tahiti on 16 November 1917, arriving in Liverpool, Merseyside on 7 January 1918, with the 31st Reinforcements of the Canterbury Regiment. Fred marched into Sling Camp on 8 January but was then admitted to Tidworth Military hospital near Sling on 7 February 1918 with rubella. He was back at Sling on 19th February and proceeded overseas to Etaples Camp in France on 20 March 1918. Fred was back in hospital on 29 April 1918 as NYD (Not Yet Diagnosed).

Fred however was sent back to the front line and was killed in action on the 8th May 1918 at Dickebusch, near Ieper (Ypres) in Belgium, one week before his brother George was killed at the Somme. He is buried at the Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Ieper, West-Vlanderen in Belgium. Fred is remembered on the memorial cross at St Aidan’s Church, Remuera, along with his brother George. [1]