At 12.30 Gas was heard

Sergeant Horace Hollins (My second cousin twice removed) was serving with the 10^th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers and on the 30^th April 1916 Horace was in the trenches at Kemmel, Belguim.

Originally from Rugeley, Staffordshire he had served in the Boer War and on his return had married Emily Leader in 1904 and then moved to Coventry working as an Iron Moulder.

Horace Hollins

The battalion war diary details the events of the early morning of the 30th April 1916.

War Diary – 10^th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers 30^th April 1916

Kemmel Trenches

At 12.30 gas was heard hissing from the cylinders and the cloud seen. Rapid fire was at once opened. Alarm gongs and Strombos horns were sounded. Gas was by far the thickest opposite our right at E.1, where the trenches were only 35 to 40 yards apart. Some men were gassed at this point before they could get their helmets properly adjusted, but in the main helmets were perfectly satisfactory.

The Germans had difficulty in leaving their lines, and only at one point did a few enter our trench, coming through the gap on our right into E.3, but they retreated when met by Lieut. Piercy and a few bombers. Capts. Bell and Follit took up the supporting platoons from Regent St. Dugouts, and by 1.21 the gas had cleared, and the situation was well in hand.

The gas came over in two waves. Regent St. Dugouts, Pall Mall, and Piccadilly were fairly heavily shelled, the barrage being just behind Regent St. Dugouts and the head of Regent St.

The Brig. Gen. was at Kemmel Shelters, and was in continuous communication with O.C> 10^th R.W. Fus.

As we had about 26 casualties and 50 cases of men suffering from gas, a company was asked for to reinforce Regent St. Dugouts, and one company to garrison G.H.Q. line at Lindenhoek in case the enemy renewed his attack.

When it got light some dead were seen near the enemy’s parapet, and two wounded were actually brought into our trench for purposes of indentification. Our heavy artillery must have done good work, as the Germans were not able to advance in large numbers, and their communications to the rear were being shelled by our lighter guns. Meanwhile 12” shells fell into their lines.

The remainder of the day was quiet. In the evening about 10pm the gas alarms were heard on our right, and the alarm was taken up by us. E trenches reported no gas; F trenches reported very slight, which subsequently turned out to be a mistake, arising from clouds of smoke from bursting shells and trench mortar bombs.

Note: It is extremely difficult under these conditions to judge whether gas is present or not when helmets are worn. During the evening trench F.5 was taken over by 1^st G. H., we leaving two Lewis guns and one bombing squad.

Casualties :

Killed - 5 O.R.

Killed (Gassed) - 3 O.R.

Wounded - 2/Lt E. Vaughan and 24 O.R.

Wounded (Gassed) - Capt. E.W. Bell, 2/Lt E.W. Edwards and 45 O.R.

From Commonwealth War Graves Commission website

The eight soldiers killed were:

Lance Corporal H Dudley (aged 21)

Pte. J.T. Fisher

Pte. T harries (aged 21)

Pte. Michael Hester (aged 30)

Pte. Francis Valentine Horton (aged 27)

Pte. Charles Shepley

Pte Frank Sigley (aged 25)

And

Sgt. Horace Hollins (aged 37)

He left behind his wife, Emily, who at the time of Horace’s death had moved back from Coventry and was living back in Rugeley at 73, Queen Street and his two children Harold (aged 10) and Mabel (aged 8)

All eight are buried in Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetry in Belguim, which is located about 9 Kms south west of Leper on a road connecting Leper to Kemmel.

It is not known which three were killed by gas.

Horace's death was reported in the local papers of both Rugeley and Coventry.

26^th May 1916 – Lichfield Mercury

Rugeley sergeant killed in action. Information has been received that sergeant Horace Hollins, of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, has been killed in action. Sergeant Hollins was a reservist. He joined the Grenadier Guards in 1900 and fought in the Boer War. On the outbreak of the present war he joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers and was soon promoted to the rank of sergeant. He is the second son of bandmaster Hollins, of Rugeley, who has served upwards of fifty years with the colours. He was for 37 years in the old volunteers. Bandmaster Hollins has had 4 sons and 2 sons in law, all of whom have answered their countrys call. Sergeant George Hollins, 1/6 th North Staffords, has just returned from the front, his time having expired. Charlie has been discharged and William, who was a member of the old volunteers, is now working on munitions. A son-in-law Private Jim Fisher, was one of the first Rugeley men to be killed in action, and his other son in law has been discharged from the army.

Coventry Telegraph

Coventry Military Band

Sergeant Hollins Killed

Seventeen members of the Coventry Military Band are serving with the colours, and of those Sergt. Horace Hollins has been recently killed in action. Corpl. W. Owen, another member, was the first of the bandsmen to be wounded.

Sergt. Hollins came from a military family. His father has thirty-seven years of military service to his credit, and all his brothers have served as volunteers, Territorials, or Regular soldiers. His younger brother has recently come to Coventry for munitions work after thirteen months of active service in France. His brother in law was killed in action a short time ago while rescuing wounded comrades. Sergt. Hollins served through the South African campaign and shortly after the outbreak of the present war was called to the colours and rejoined his old regiment the Grenadier Guards. He then served as instructor in several depots, and finally went to the front with the 10^th Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was home on leave a month ago, and was killed on the Sunday following his return. In his early career he was a bandsman in the North Staffordshire Regiment, serving with his father and three brothers. When he came to Coventry he joined the Coventry Military Band, and played with them for twelve years. He was very popular among local bandsmen, and by his straightforwardness and honesty of purpose earned the respect and good wishes of all his associates. He leaves a widow and two children.

Horace is also remembered on the Ancient Order of Foresters role of honour memorial in Rugeley and the Rugeley war memorial.

Ancient Order of Foresters Memorial - Rugeley

His second cousin and my Great Uncle Edward Hollins sounded the Last Post when the Memorial was first dedicated.

Band of Brothers

On the 27th September 1915 Horace Hollins, my 2nd cousin twice removed, arrived in Boulogne, France with the 10th Royal Welch Fusiliers.

Horace was born in 1879 in Rugeley, Staffordshire to William and Sarah Ann Hollins (nee Wood). He had one older brother, William (born 1875) and two younger brothers, George (born 1886) and Charles (born 1884) as well as two sisters, Mary Ann (born 1877) and Harriet (born 1881). Both Mary Ann and Harriet were married, to Fred Williscroft and James Fisher respectively.

The family had a military background, Horace’s father; William had served in the army for 37 years as a colour sergeant and in the territorials and was well known in Rugeley as the local military band master. All his brothers and brothers in law played in the band and all had answered their country’s call out the outbreak of war.

Horace himself had previously been a solider with the Grenadier Guards, enlisting in 1900 and serving throughout the Boer War. Shortly after the outbreak of the Great War he re-joined his old regiment serving as an instructor in several depots before joining the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a Sergeant.

Horace had married Emily Leader (Born Rugeley 1882) in 1904 at St. Augustine’s church, Rugeley. They moved to Coventry shortly afterwards, where Horace joined the Coventry Military Band. They had two children Harold James (born 1906) and Mabel (born 1908). By 1911 Horace was working as an Iron Moulder and the family were living at 1 Francis St, Foleshill, Coventry.

His elder brother William had also moved to Coventry around the same time as Horace and was also working as an Iron Moulder (Motor parts) and was living with his wife Amy (nee Saunders) and his seven children (another son was born in 1912) at 11 Francis St, Coventry.