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{{Short description|British Indian Army general (1869–1949)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Lieutenant-General '''Sir Herbert Campbell Holman''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CMG|DSO}} (3 May 1869 − 25 July 1949) was a British officer of the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] who served mostly in staff appointments.

The son of William Laban Holman, he was educated at [[Dulwich College]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], and was commissioned into the [[Devonshire Regiment]] as a [[second lieutenant]] in 1889.<ref name="Times">Obituary, ''[[The Times]]'', 28 July 1949</ref> He took part in the [[Wuntho expedition]] in [[Burma]] in 1891−1892, in which he was slightly wounded at Kyaingkwintaung<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26256|supp=|page=679|date=9 February 1892}}</ref> and [[mentioned in despatches]]. [[Garnet Wolseley|Major-General Garnet Wolseley]] wrote of him: "Since the death of Captain Bray, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, Intelligence Branch, the official diary of the campaign has been admirably carried on by Second-Lieutenant H. C. Holman, Devonshire Regiment. I have tried this gallant young officer in many duties, and for one so young I have never met one who so successfully achieved all that he was called upon to perform. I anticipate a brilliant career for this young officer, and I commend his good services to special notice."<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26256|supp=|page=678|date=9 February 1892}}</ref> He later served as a staff officer with the [[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]] column, for which he was mentioned in despatches again.<ref name="WW" /> In May 1892, now a [[lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]], he transferred to the Indian Army<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26488|supp=|page=1160|date=23 February 1894}}</ref> and joined the [[16th Bengal Cavalry]], which was renamed the 16th Bengal Lancers in 1901 the 16th Cavalry in 1903, the 13th/16th Cavalry in 1921 and the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers in 1922. In 1895, he qualified as a first-class interpreter in Russian and in 1897 he was sent to the Staff College, graduating the following year, by which time he had also qualified as a first-class interpreter in French. In 1899, he was appointed [[adjutant]] of the 16th Bengal Cavalry and in 1900 served as an interpreter with the Chinese Expeditionary Force sent to quell the [[Boxer Rebellion]]. He also acted as a special service officer and railway staff officer with the grade of deputy assistant adjutant-general (DAAG)<ref name="WW" /> and was mentioned in despatches for a third time in July 1901<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27354|supp=|page=6047|date=13 September 1901}}</ref> and awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) in November 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27385|supp=|page=8715|date=10 December 1901}}</ref>

Promoted [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in September 1900,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27251|supp=|page=7825|date=27 November 1900}}</ref> Holman was assistant military secretary in the Military Department of the Government of India from May to August 1901 and in December 1902 was appointed staff captain in the Eastern Section of the Intelligence Branch of the [[War Office]] in London.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27528|supp=|page=1219|date=24 February 1903}}</ref> He remained in this department until December 1906,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27983|supp=|page=119|date=4 January 1907}}</ref> being appointed deputy assistant quartermaster general (DAQMG) in January 1904.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27642|supp=|page=781|date=5 February 1904}}</ref> From June to November 1905, he was posted to [[Manchuria]] as a British observer with the Russian forces in the [[Russo-Japanese War]],<ref name="Times" /> for which he was awarded the [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Order of St Stanislaus]] 2nd class with swords by Russia.<ref name="WW" />

In 1906, Holman returned to regimental duties in India and was promoted [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in September 1907.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28083|supp=|page=8191|date=26 November 1907}}</ref> While on leave in Switzerland in 1907,<ref name="WW" /> he rescued a drowning man from the [[Aare|River Aare]], for which was awarded the bronze medal of the [[Royal Humane Society]].<ref name="Times" /> He then qualified as a first-class interpreter in German and served as a general staff officer 2nd grade (GSO2) at the Directorate of Operations<ref name="Times" /> at GHQ India from March to October 1910<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28385|supp=|page=4266|date=17 June 1910}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28459|supp=|page=602|date=24 January 1911}}</ref> and from July 1913.<ref name="Times" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28764|supp=|page=7156|date=14 October 1913}}</ref> He was promoted to the [[brevet (military)|brevet]] rank of [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] in June 1914.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28841|supp=|page=4801|date=19 June 1914}}</ref>

When the [[First World War]] broke out in August 1914, Holman went to France as an intelligence officer with the headquarters of the [[I Corps (British India)|Indian Corps]].<ref name="WW" /> In February 1915, he was appointed assistant quartermaster-general (AQMG)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29083|supp=y|page=1964|date=23 February 1915}}</ref> of the British [[First Army (United Kingdom)|First Army]] and was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel.<ref name="WW" /> In November 1915, he was appointed deputy adjutant and quartermaster-general of [[XI Corps (United Kingdom)|XI Corps]] with the temporary appointment of [[brigadier-general]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29382|supp=y|page=11876|date=26 November 1915}}</ref> and held this formal appointment until April 1919.<ref name="Times" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31697|supp=y|page=15736|date=16 December 1919}}</ref> He was promoted to brevet [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in January 1916<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29438|supp=y|page=568|date=11 January 1916}}</ref> and later to temporary [[major general (United Kingdom)|major-general]]<ref name="LG">{{London Gazette|issue=31092|supp=y|page=13|date=31 December 1918}}</ref> while serving as head of administration of the [[Fourth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourth Army]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31283|supp=y|page=4710|date=8 April 1919}}</ref> He was appointed [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) in February 1915<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29102|supp=|page=2621|date=16 March 1915}}</ref> and [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in January 1918.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30450|supp=y|page=2|date=28 December 1917}}</ref> He was also mentioned in despatches nine more times,<ref name="WW" /> and awarded the [[Légion d'honneur]]<ref name="WW" /> and appointed commandeur of the [[Ordre du Mérite agricole]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31586|supp=y|page=12408|date=3 October 1919}}</ref> by France.

In January 1919, Holman was promoted to the substantive rank of major-general<ref name="LG" /> and in May 1919 he was appointed chief of the British Military Mission to [[Anton Denikin|General Denikin]] in South Russia during the [[Russian Civil War]], a post which he held until April 1920,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31981|supp=y|page=7564|date=13 July 1920}}</ref> when he accompanied Denikin to [[Constantinople]] and thence to London as he went into exile.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32184|supp=y|page=173|date=7 January 1921}}</ref> For these services, he was appointed [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] (KCB) on 11 November 1919.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31874|supp=y|page=4683|date=20 April 1920}}</ref> The [[White movement|White Russian]] government also awarded him the [[Order of Saint Anna|Order of St Anna]] 1st class with swords, the Order of St Stanislaus 1st class with swords and the [[Order of Saint Vladimir|Order of St Vladimir]] 4th class with swords.<ref name="WW" />

In 1921, he returned to GHQ India as deputy quartermaster-general and in December 1922<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32824|supp=|page=3531|date=18 May 1923}}</ref> he became [[general officer commanding]] (GOC) [[Sind]]-[[Rajputana]] District. In November 1924, he was transferred as GOC [[Central Provinces]] District<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33016|supp=|page=690|date=30 January 1925}}</ref> and [[4th Indian Division]] at [[Mhow]].<ref name="WW" /> He was promoted [[lieutenant general (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-general]] in November 1926,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33263|supp=|page=2213|date=5 April 1927}}</ref> returned to Britain in November 1927<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33355|supp=|page=957|date=10 February 1928}}</ref> and retired in June 1928.<ref name="Times" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33398|supp=|page=4415|date=29 June 1928}}</ref> He served as colonel of his regiment from March 1923<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32810|supp=|page=2421|date=30 March 1923}}</ref> to 1945.<ref name="Times" /> From 1940 to 1944, he served as a [[private (rank)|private]] in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]].<ref name="WW" />

Holman married Annie Ethel Talbot Howey (died 1948<ref name="WW">Biography, ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]''</ref>), daughter of fellow Indian Army officer [[William Howey|Major-General William Howey]], in 1902; they had a son and a daughter.<ref name="Times" />

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp135702/sir-herbert-campbell-holman Photographic portrait of Holman in the National Portrait Gallery]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holman, Herbert}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Russian Civil War]]
[[Category:People educated at Dulwich College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Devonshire Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:People of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Agricultural Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class]]
[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]]

Herbert Holman - Revision history

Bot at 15:24, 18 November 2022