Private Albert Frederick Holland

Rank or Title

Date of Birth

1891

Date of Death

28 Nov 1914

Service Number

1353

Place of Birth

Hampstead
United Kingdom

World War I Address

4 Lincoln Road
Luton
United Kingdom

Place of Death

Belgium

Grave Location

United Kingdom

Soldier or Civilian

  • Soldier

Source

The Luton News , 24th December 1914
Pte Albert Frederick Holland

Pte Albert Frederick Holland, 1353, B Company, 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment, was killed in action on November 28th, 1914. He was aged 23.

The son of Mr and Mrs Frederick Holland, of 4 Lincoln Road, Luton, he was born in Hampstead, London, in 1891, and had been living at Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex.

Prior to the war he was serving with his regiment in India. His parents had not seen him for five years but were expecting, until the war started, that the regiment would return from India in 1915, about the time their son finished his seven years with the colours.

The first news of his death came in a letter to his parents from a soldier chum. He wrote: "He was one of a brave party of 25 that made an assault on, and took, a German trench at 12 midnight on November 27th. Unluckily, on returning to our own lines they were caught under the heavy fire of a machine gun, and only eight of them got back safe."

Another chum, Pte J. McDowell, wrote that Pte Holland was shot dead as he was getting out of the enemy's trenches at around 12.45 am. He died fighting like a soldier, wrote Pte McDowell, who was himself in hospital in Exeter suffering from two bullet wounds in the chest.

Pte Holland's father was with the colours for six years and took part in the Zulu campaign in 1879-80, for which he received the Zulu Medal. Since then he had served 25 years in the Metropolitan Police. He retired in 1908 but was at the time of his son's death he was on sick leave from police duty at Tilbury Docks.

One of Mr Holland's daughters was at Stettin on the household of a German general, a member of the Kaiser's personal staff, when war was declared and had terrible experiences before she reached England, losing all her money and possessions and arriving with only the clothes she travelled in.

Pte Holland is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in the Pas de Calais, and on the Luton Roll of Honour.

 

Individual Location

Pte Albert Frederick Holland

Author: Deejaya

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