71224 Lt-Col. 'Gus' Charles Alexander HOLLIMAN, DSO, MC*, 5RTR, LRDG: 21/01/1945

Remembering things my father JB Smethurst 1 RTR did and out pops this memory of (as a child so 1970s) visiting Peggy Holliman (spelling may be wrong) in the south of England. She was widow of Gus who had clearly served with my father and Field Marshall Lord Carver (she told my father "mike carver" had been round to cut the lawn) . She had a son whom her husband never saw. Any thoughts out there? Idler?

 

Could it be Charles Holliman? He earned a DSO, MC and Bar with the RTR

The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Search Results=*

 

Well he was "Gus" to my father and Michael Carver. They stayed in touch with Peggie always. was always told by my father that he was a remarkable man. His date of death is 1945. My fathers major injury was 16/04/45. These men had gone through so much for so long. As did so many. Does not surprise me JB and Michael carver went to see her for so many years after.

 

" Gus " is often enough used as a replacement for " Charles " .....

 

Thanks to Owen tipped me off about this thread that I missed.

Gus Holliman was CO of 5 R Tks, also in 7 Armd Div. The circumstances of his death are reported by Pile in Better Than Riches. In brief, Holliman had come forward in a scout car to recce 1 R Tks' positions before taking them over. His scout car was believed to have been destroyed by a Panther wih which 1 R Tks had duelled the previous day.

Off the top of my head (will check tomorrow), Holliman was 2i/c of 1 R Tks before being posted to command 5 R Tks after problems with their CO. This was before D-Day, I think.

Quickie having read the title: whilst he was definitely a Desert Rat, I'm not aware of him having anything to do with the LRDG; usual disclaimer applies about me being unaware of many things.

 

Holliman took over as CO 5 R Tks on 17 May 1944.

The fairly-recent regimental history - Press On Regardless - attributes his death to a different cause but the tragedy is matched by the high regard shown for him:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=27032&stc=1&d=1271105761

 

Idler-this supports everything I recall from childhood. Gus was viewed as special. His widow had not remarried. His son he had never seen. Mike Carver and my father went out of their way to visit her.LRDG was definitely mentioned by my father in context of GH. His loss was the only one JB mentioned by name. And lets face it he must have lost more than a few people close to him. Where does Gus H and JB's service fit together? I am a bit overwhelmed by the detail!

 

Still thinking about the LRDG link. Delaforce mentions GH 'came back' to 1 R Tks shortly before moving on to 5 R Tks so there is a short overlap there. What he doesn't say is where he came back from.

Carver's Out of Step has a few answers: GH was a squadron commander under MC in 1 R Tks. Before they went over to Italy, GH was sent back to Blighty to lend his experience to another regiment. He was succeeded by Barry O'Sullivan, who we already know as JB's unlucky Sqn Comd. I will speculate that JB was also GH's 2i/c in the latter stages of the desert campaign, hence the link. It will be no surprise to you that MC also though very highly of GH and says so in the book.

Not sure what I've got that will shed any light on the LRDG link, though...

 

I'm not thinking about the LRDG link anymore - it's confirmed. W B Kennedy-Shaw's The Long Range Desert Group has him listed as a patrol commander in S1 (Rhodesian) Patrol. It also looks like he won his MC with them.

 

WO 373/18 folio 72

71224 Lt (T/Capt) HOLLIMAN, Charles Alexander - RTR (LRDG) - MC
Recommended by D W REID Brigadier Comdg Force E 20/12/41
Gazetted 24 Feb 1942

During the operations on SIRTE and on previous operations this officer has more than once proved him-self resourceful and full of courage. On the 12/13 Dec. it was entirely due to his careful and perilous reconnaisance that the location of certain enemy planes, etc., were located. He then led the raiding party to this position. This officer was entirely responsible for the unfaltering guiding and protection in open Desert of the party, and it is entirely due to his skill and courage that the party succeeded in its mission. Though continually harassed by air this officer never faltered, but skilfully continued his advance in enemy territory.

Original [mis]spellings retained above. Underneath Auchinleck's signature there is a handwritten note that could read "Name not to be released" (it's a very poor scan). He was, however, named in the LG though no mention of the LRDG.

Edit: this operation was actually the classic first successful SAS raid - Stirling, Mayne and a dozen or so others were the 'raiding party' mentioned in the citation.

 

Idler -
Delaforce is not the "force" that many give him the credit as I have just found one of his "howlers " in his "Churchill's Desert rats" - Normandy - Berlin - page 78 ...." and their brownings beat off the grenadiers from 21st PZ Div( a much travelled formation who had fought from Agheila, Tobruk,and Alamein) "

NO they hadn't..... and he should know better than that as the ORIGINAL: 21st Pz's had surrendered to the 11th Hussars at Tunis/ Cap Bon in May '43...and he wrote about that event in his first book of the 7th AD

This 21st Pz's who fought at NWE were reconstituted in late 1943 from all over the panzer units and very few of the originals were incorporated as they were mostly in Canadian POW farms.....

Cheers

 

I tend to tread warily when I'm using him, but he often has useful snippets and leads.

 

Very interesting. Bear in mind JB died in 1989 frustratingly before I reached an age of proper mature interest in a war history he honoured but did not dwell upon with the "younger generation". However he said two things- Gus was on missions with the LRDG (my father referred to it as the beginning of the SAS) and secondly on the subject of Barry O'Sullivan that he was the first British POW to make a home run, came back to duty and couldn't cope with the return to discipline hence him being relieved of duty. I am trying to arrange a visit soon to Major AB Smethurst MC (uncle alfred) -he is 96 this year. Lives a long way from me in Nottingham.

 

Susan-
The LRDG were not quite the originators of the SAS but rather the credit still goes to Stirling- Mayne and Lewis - they came up with the idea - gave it to Gen Ritchie who thought it was just what was needed - Auckinlek agreed and thus the SAS was born - their first action by parachuting from an airplane was a disaster and so they asked the LRDG to be a "Taxi Service" for them.....this was always the case in the Desert - LRDG took them out - and brought the survivors back !

Cheers

 

Awarded Military Cross

During the Operations on Sirte and on previous operations this officer has more than proved him self resourceful and full of courage. On 12/13 Dec. it was entirely due to his careful and perilous reconnaisance that the location of certain enemy planes. etc were located. He then led the raiding party to this position. This officer was entirly responsible for the unfaltering guiding and protection in open Desert of the party, and it is entirely due to his skill and courage that the party succeeded in its mission. Though continuously harassed by air this officer never faltered, but skilfully continued his advance in enemy territory.



24.2.42

 

It's probably fair to say that if the LRDG hadn't helped them out, the SAS might have gone from airborne to stillborn.
The SAS were certainly inspired by the LRDG as they gave up on wings and adopted wheels:

 

Idler -
This might have been the case -airborne / stillborn but very doubtful as Stirling was made of Sterling stuff - Mayne and Lewis were not slouch's either !
...and they had good sponsors in Ritchie and Auchinlek - as they were "aw Jock Tampsons bairns" they can stick to-gether like porridge.....