Page 37 - Sylvia Malt - Side by Side v1

Very much a military family, the Holt’s more than made their mark during the first world War, but
Geoffrey Vesey Holt was the only casualty. Three of his brothers greatly distinguished themselves in
the War:

Major Felton Vesey Holt, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry and Royal Flying Corps, received the
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Distinguished Service Order for his gallantry on 22 January 1915 in engaging single handed a group
of twelve German Aeroplanes which were attacking in Dunkirk.

Lieutenant Commander Reginald Vesey Holt, R.N. In July 1918, he received the DSO for
services in action with enemy submarines.

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Lieutenant Alwyn Vesey Holt was a Captain in the 1 Battalion, the Black Watch and was
awarded the DSO in June 1918. He had been educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He was a Lieutenant at
the start of the War in the Black Watch, and was wounded in France in September 1914. After
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recovering, he returned to France with the 2 Battalion, the Black Watch. Lt. Alwyn Vesey Holt then
joined the Royal Flying Corps and by 1918 was commanding a wing of the Royal Air Force in France.

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Thomas Albert HUMPHREY 2 Lt. 10 Squadron and 8 Battalion, The Queen’s
(Royal West Surrey) Regiment - Observer/ Royal Air Force
1894- 3rd May 1918

Thomas Humphrey was born in 1894, the youngest of four sons born to Edward and Eliza Humphrey,
who ran the North Cray Bakers/Post office. He was one of the first members of North Cray Troop of
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Scouts. Enlisting on 7 September 1914, shortly after the declaration of war, Thomas was assigned to
the Queen’s Royal West Sussex Regt. All his three brothers served in the Armed Forces.

In 1917 Thomas Humphrey was recommended by his Captain for a Commission and he came home
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for training, being gazetted into the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment as a 2 Lieutenant. Always
up for a challenge by early 1918, he had been transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an ‘Observer’.

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On 3 May 1918, after a flight when the British pilots engaged with the enemy, Thomas Humphrey
failed to return from a raid. The fight took place at a great height and no trace of the aircraft, or his
body, was ever found. He was initially reported as missing although in reality it was realised that he
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could not have survived. His commanding officer wrote to his mother on 6 May: “Your son has not
been long with us but has already made good and done a lot of very useful work. He was very keen
indeed and very popular with his messmates.
We all sympathise very deeply with you in your anxiety and hope that at least you will hear
something definite shortly.”

In memoriam No known grave. Remembered on The Ploegsteert Memorial, Hainault Belgium.