HOLMES, Mathew
Born 2 October 1878 in Edinburgh; died in Wellington on 15 November 1918; buried 17 November 1918; age 40
Mathew HOLMES MD FRCS (Edin) was born into a wealthy and influential family.
An obituary in Dunedin’s Evening Star on 27 September 1901 for his grandfather, also called Mathew, said that he was ‘one of those men born under a lucky star’. He grew up in County Tyrone, Ireland, but working with a firm that was involved in trade with Australia sparked his interest to travel and see the colony at first hand. He and a friend set up business in Geelong and in a short time had the beginnings of a substantial fortune. In 1854, concerned about the poor health of Ann, his wife, he sold up and returned to the UK complete with their family of three daughters and three sons. Initially they settled in Richmond, but later he purchased an estate near Edinburgh. He then developed an interest in New Zealand and travelled by himself to Otago in 1859 to size up the prospects for pastoral and agricultural business. He returned to Scotland, negotiated the finance to support his land purchase ambitions, sailed back to New Zealand and set to work. In 1864, he sold his Scottish estate and brought his family out, settling near Oamaru. His years of very large land purchases were followed by new and similarly profitable businesses importing and breeding pedigree farm stock and developing urban land in Dunedin. At the same time, he served for several years on the Otago and Southland Provincial Councils, and from 1866 until his death in 1901, as a member of the Legislative Council.
His second son, James Stuart, was born in Victoria in 1847, but studied at Edinburgh University, presumably before travelling to New Zealand. By 1870, he was enrolled as a voter in the Oamaru District. He then returned to Edinburgh, this time to marry. His wife, Catherine Marion MILLER (usually known as Kate), was then 25 and he was 26. The marriage took place in September 1873 at her family home in Hart Street, Edinburgh, where she had lived all her life. In the marriage record, James was described as a ‘runholder’ normally resident in Oamaru, Otago. The couple then sailed to New Zealand. In 1877, their first son, James Cameron, was born. Unhappily, he lived for only 14 days and was buried at Anderson’s Bay Cemetery. The couple returned to Edinburgh and it was there that Mathew Holmes junior was born, on 2 October 1878 (i). The family then returned to New Zealand in time for the birth of Mathew’s younger brother, Colin Cameron, in 1882.
Mathew was educated in Oamaru and then at Otago Boys’ High School, spent a year at Otago University and then in the late 1890s, set off for medical training at Edinburgh University (ii). He was captured in the census of 1901, living with several other medical students at no 5 Ramsay Gardens in the heart of the city in the parish of St Giles. He graduated MB ChB in 1902, gained his FRCS three years later, and became MD in 1906. Aside from study, he also spent time as a territorial soldier, joining the Royal Scots Volunteers in 1897 and becoming an officer with the rank of Lieutenant in 1900. He resigned his commission in 1903, perhaps because his appointment as resident surgeon at Chalmers Hospital for Children in Edinburgh left little time for extra-curricular activities.
When he returned to New Zealand, fully qualified, he registered as a medical practitioner in 1907 and in April of that year advertised that he was commencing practice from rooms in Upland Road, Kelburne (as it then was). A subsequent advertisement, in December 1908, said that he had ‘removed’ from Kelburne and was now practising in Willis Street, opposite St Peter’s Church. The location, 196 Willis Street, was both his surgery and his private residence. The building was newly built, a substantial two-storey brick building with a bow window on the ground floor, and a matching residence next door. The west side of Willis Street was a popular location for medical practitioners: the Post Office Directory of 1910 records a total of five medical practitioners and six surgeons in the distance between Boulcott and Ghuznee Streets, with two more on the east side of the street and ten dentists as well.
Born 2 October 1878 in Edinburgh; died in Wellington on 15 November 1918; buried 17 November 1918; age 40
Mathew HOLMES MD FRCS (Edin) was born into a wealthy and influential family.
An obituary in Dunedin’s Evening Star on 27 September 1901 for his grandfather, also called Mathew, said that he was ‘one of those men born under a lucky star’. He grew up in County Tyrone, Ireland, but working with a firm that was involved in trade with Australia sparked his interest to travel and see the colony at first hand. He and a friend set up business in Geelong and in a short time had the beginnings of a substantial fortune. In 1854, concerned about the poor health of Ann, his wife, he sold up and returned to the UK complete with their family of three daughters and three sons. Initially they settled in Richmond, but later he purchased an estate near Edinburgh. He then developed an interest in New Zealand and travelled by himself to Otago in 1859 to size up the prospects for pastoral and agricultural business. He returned to Scotland, negotiated the finance to support his land purchase ambitions, sailed back to New Zealand and set to work. In 1864, he sold his Scottish estate and brought his family out, settling near Oamaru. His years of very large land purchases were followed by new and similarly profitable businesses importing and breeding pedigree farm stock and developing urban land in Dunedin. At the same time, he served for several years on the Otago and Southland Provincial Councils, and from 1866 until his death in 1901, as a member of the Legislative Council.
His second son, James Stuart, was born in Victoria in 1847, but studied at Edinburgh University, presumably before travelling to New Zealand. By 1870, he was enrolled as a voter in the Oamaru District. He then returned to Edinburgh, this time to marry. His wife, Catherine Marion MILLER (usually known as Kate), was then 25 and he was 26. The marriage took place in September 1873 at her family home in Hart Street, Edinburgh, where she had lived all her life. In the marriage record, James was described as a ‘runholder’ normally resident in Oamaru, Otago. The couple then sailed to New Zealand. In 1877, their first son, James Cameron, was born. Unhappily, he lived for only 14 days and was buried at Anderson’s Bay Cemetery. The couple returned to Edinburgh and it was there that Mathew Holmes junior was born, on 2 October 1878 (i). The family then returned to New Zealand in time for the birth of Mathew’s younger brother, Colin Cameron, in 1882.
Mathew was educated in Oamaru and then at Otago Boys’ High School, spent a year at Otago University and then in the late 1890s, set off for medical training at Edinburgh University (ii). He was captured in the census of 1901, living with several other medical students at no 5 Ramsay Gardens in the heart of the city in the parish of St Giles. He graduated MB ChB in 1902, gained his FRCS three years later, and became MD in 1906. Aside from study, he also spent time as a territorial soldier, joining the Royal Scots Volunteers in 1897 and becoming an officer with the rank of Lieutenant in 1900. He resigned his commission in 1903, perhaps because his appointment as resident surgeon at Chalmers Hospital for Children in Edinburgh left little time for extra-curricular activities.
When he returned to New Zealand, fully qualified, he registered as a medical practitioner in 1907 and in April of that year advertised that he was commencing practice from rooms in Upland Road, Kelburne (as it then was). A subsequent advertisement, in December 1908, said that he had ‘removed’ from Kelburne and was now practising in Willis Street, opposite St Peter’s Church. The location, 196 Willis Street, was both his surgery and his private residence. The building was newly built, a substantial two-storey brick building with a bow window on the ground floor, and a matching residence next door. The west side of Willis Street was a popular location for medical practitioners: the Post Office Directory of 1910 records a total of five medical practitioners and six surgeons in the distance between Boulcott and Ghuznee Streets, with two more on the east side of the street and ten dentists as well.
This photo looking down Willis St towards St John’s shows no. 196 Willis St, behind the small group of pedestrians, the surgery and residence of Dr Mathew Holmes. Photographed by John Dobree Pascoe, c 1943, part of the collection ‘Pascoe, John Dobree, 1908–1972, Photographic albums, prints and negatives, held by the Alexander Turnbull Library
Setting up his practice was not his only significant event in December 1908. On the 9th, the Evening Post announced that Dr Mathew Holmes ‘has been appointed a captain in the New Zealand Medical Corps [and] is to be attached to No 5 Co. (Wellington) Field Ambulance.’ Then right at the end of the month, on the 28th, it announced the engagement of Miss Elsie Rawson, daughter of Mr Herbert Rawson, to Dr Mathew Holmes.
Dr Mathew Holmes, circa 5 February 1909, photographed by S P Andrew Ltd.
With thanks to the National Library Date: 1909 Ref: 1/1-014133-G
With thanks to the National Library Date: 1909 Ref: 1/1-014133-G
Elsie Beatrice RAWSON was born in 1883 (iii) to Agnes Beatrice (née SYMONS) and Herbert Pearson Rawson. She was their second child, with an older sister Alice (1881) and a younger brother Herbert Jack (1887).
The marriage was celebrated at St Paul’s Cathedral on 20 April 1909, with Elsie’s sister, Alice and Mathew’s brother, Colin included in the bridal party. Elsie gave birth to the couple’s first child, named Beatrice Anna, in mid-1910 and their second, Catherine Stuart, early in 1913.
Mathew was quick to enlist when war was declared in 1914, being promoted to the rank of Major and appointed to lead the medical section of the advance party sent to capture the German radio facilities in Samoa. He returned to New Zealand but then embarked for the Middle East in February 1915, serving in Egypt and Turkey. While there he was quoted in a column published in the Otago Daily Times, praising the qualities of the New Zealand and Australian fighting men, ‘infinitely the best in the British army, and perhaps in the world.’ The article went on to refer to his work before ‘the big fight’ back in August:
I was only supposed to do administrative work…but the casualty clearing hospital, which was supposed to have been here on the 6th, was unavoidably detained till the 8th, and for 48 hours, with one batman, I had to take on their work, dressing about 300 cases myself. One begins to think of it now as an experience, but it really was one of the most awful sights that can be imagined. The small shed in which I was dressing half the time with one candle was not in the least safe, and several of the wounded were killed in and just beside it – a regular inferno (iv).
Twice during 1915, he was struck by ill health, on the second occasion spending time in hospital in Alexandria with bronchial catarrh. He returned to New Zealand in December, but in May of the following year was on his way back to the warzone, initially in Egypt and then, following promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel, to serve on the Western front as officer commanding the 1st Field Ambulance. In September 1917, he was ill again and was transferred to London where kidney stones were diagnosed. This was the end of his war service. He was assessed to be permanently unfit for active service and left to return to New Zealand in November 1917.
After a period of recuperation back home, he placed an advertisement in the Evening Post on 29 June 1918 to say that he was resuming his medical practice. Later that year, like others with medical skills, he would have been working long hours helping citizens cope with the outbreak of influenza until he succumbed himself. He died on 15 November 1918. On the following day, the Evening Post commented that the community would sympathise deeply with his widow and two children ‘for Dr Holmes was a practitioner widely esteemed for his skill and his excellent personal qualities.’
Mathew Holmes’ grave is marked by a large elaborately carved Celtic cross and there is also a sundial erected in his memory in the military section of Karori Cemetery. In addition, one of the bells in the Carillon – known as Sari Bair – was gifted by Herbert Rawson (his father-in-law) and inscribed in memory of two of his sons-in-law, Frank Davison and Mathew Holmes.
Elsie Holmes did not remarry. She and her two daughters left New Zealand for England in 1928. Elsie died in England in 1960 and her ashes were brought to Karori to be buried with her husband under the Celtic cross.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Section: PUBLIC2
Plot: 273 I
Sources:
(i) This date is taken from the Statutory Records held by National Records of Scotland, and it matches the date recorded on Mathew Holmes’ NZEF Attestation Sheet in 1914. Other records give or imply different dates, including on the plinth above his grave in Karori Cemetery (which reads ‘2 November 1879’) and the record held by the cemetery which gives his age at death as 46 rather than 40.
(ii) ‘… it became the custom for New Zealand medical students to study for two years at Dunedin, and to complete their course with a further two years’ study at Edinburgh. From 1885 onwards it became possible to complete the whole medical course in Dunedin.’ See https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/medical-services/page-6.
(iii) This is the year according to BDM records, although her grave gives the date as 1882.
(iv) Otago Daily Times, 9 November 1915.