Arthur William Holland
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
He was the son of Samuel and Emma Holland. In 1891 they were living at 19 Handel Street, Nottingham; Samuel was a stall holder and Emma a cotton spinner. In the household on the night of the census were their children, Samuel (16, iron turner), Florence (14, cotton spinner), Henrietta (12), Albert E. (10), Israel (9) and Arthur William (2). Also living with them was their married daughter, Sarah Kirk (19, cotton spinner), her husband Joseph Kirk (22, tailor's trimmer) and Samuel's two sisters, Sarah (32, lace mender) and Caroline (28). By 1901 the family was living at 18 Cherry Street, Nottingham. Samuel and Emma had four children still at home, Israel (19), who was a widower, Arthur William (12), Mabel (9) and another son, Jas (5). Their grandson Alfred Kirk, the son of their daughter Sarah, was also in the household. Arthur William married Esther Rachel Raynor in 1907 (Nottingham, marriage registered Jul/Aug/Sep). At the time of Arthur's death 7 years later they were living at 14 Park Row, Ilkeston Road, Radford. Esther later remarried (Elliott, marriage registered Jul/Aug/Sep 1918) and then lived at 27 Ilkeston Road, Radford (CWGC).
He joined the Royal Navy on 3 September 1914, 'during hostilities' and was rated Able Seaman. After a short period on shore (Victory I) he joined HMS Bulwark on 1 October 1914. As he was rated Able Seaman and was at sea within a month of joining the RN it is possible that he was either a former regular or a Naval reservist. He was lost when Bulwark sank after an explosion; only 12 of a ship's company of over 750 were rescued. His body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. The pre-Dreadnought battleship HMS Bulwark of the 5th Battleship Squadron, Channel Fleet, was sunk on 26 November 1914 by an ammunition explosion while at No 17 Buoy in the River Medway off Sheerness. Only 12 men survived from a ship’s company of over 750 and among the dead were sailors and Royal Marines from Nottinghamshire, many of whom came from the Meadows and Radford. Eye-witnesses in nearby ships described seeing smoke from the stern of the ship before the explosion, which appeared to have been in an after magazine. Divers who examined the wreck a few days later reported that Bulwark’s port bow had been blown off by the explosion and lay 50 feet beyond the mooring while the starboard bow lay 30 feet further away. No other large sections of the ship could be found. A Naval board of enquiry into the cause of the explosion concluded that the most likely cause of the disaster was the overheating of cordite charges stored alongside a boiler room bulkhead. It was also suggested that shells for the ship’s 6” guns had been stored in in cross-passageways connecting the ship’s 11 magazines and had, contrary to regulations, been packed too close together and were also touching the magazine bulkheads. A chain reaction explosion of the shells would have been sufficient to detonate the ship’s magazines. On the afternoon of Thursday, November 26th, 1914, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill made the following statement to the House of Commons : ‘I regret to say I have some bad news for the house. The Bulwark battleship, which was lying in Sheerness (on the River Medway) this morning, blew up at 7.35 o'clock. The Vice and Rear Admiral, who were present, have reported their conviction that it was an internal magazine explosion which rent the ship asunder. There was apparently no upheaval in the water, and the ship had entirely disappeared when the smoke had cleared away... I regret to say the loss of life is very severe. Only 12 men are saved. All the officers and the rest of the crew, who, I suppose, amounted to between 700 and 800, have perished. I think the House would wish me to express on their behalf the deep sorrow with which the House heard the news, and their sympathy with those who have lost their relatives and friends.’
Nottingham Evening Post notice (abridged, 29 November 1914: 'Holland. On November 26th, Seaman Arthur William Holland, 25 Ilkeston Road, Nottingham, on HMS Bulwark.' 'In memoriam' notice published 29th November 1917 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- HOLLAND. – In loving memory of Arthur Wm. Holland, lost on H.M.S. Bulwark, November 26th, 1914. Fondly remembered. – Wife and child. “HOLLAND. - In loving memory of my dear son, Arthur Holland, who went down with H.M.S. Bulwark, November 26th, 1914. Three years have passed, and how we miss him, never shall we forget the day when the sad news came that we had lost him in the seas so far away. Those who loved him are able to tell the pain at heart at not saying farewell. - Loving mother, sister Mabel, and Fred (in Palestine), and brother Albert (wounded, now discharged ).” Seamen's Register of Services: 'Wounds, scars or marks: Right forearm, sailor, bird, anchor, flag. Clasped hands, right arm. Left forearm hand & dagger, coat of arms' Note on record: ‘NP 3063/14. DD [Discharged Dead] 26 November 1914 when Bulwark was sunk.’ His brother Lance Corporal Albert Edward Holland, served with the 1/7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire) Regiment (Robin Hood Rifles), was wounded in action on 4th August 1915. News of the seriousness of his condition was published, together with his photograph, on 16th September 1915. An old Robin Hood, enlisting on 1st June 1908, he landed in France with the battalion on 28th February 1915. His wounds meant that he was discharged as no longer physically fit for service on 13th June 1916. Above information is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
