Holmes, Captain G. W.
Prior to Captain G. W. Holmes' work in the colony of British Columbia, he was educated at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.1 In the early to mid 1860s, Holmes was in the colony working as, originally, a Police Magistrate and Private Secretary to Governor Seymour.2 By 1864, Holmes was the Acting Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and a member of the Royal Artillery (R.A).3 In his position, Holmes was employed with the Surveyor General to mark the road which would be later constructed from Quesnel Mouth to the Cariboo Mines.4
In January 1865, Holmes was given the appointment to the Colonial Secretaryship of Honduras and was thus en route by way of Jamaica; however, due to Holmes' heavy drinking he suffered from delirium tremors and his position was not filled.5 He was consequently accused of intemperate habits -- creating a hesitance in the people of Honduras to have him as their secretary.6 Soon thereafter, Holmes was given a second chance and offered an appointment as Registrar of the Supreme Court, although in his acceptance he had to cede his ongoing position with the R.A.7 Holmes' date of death is unknown and thus it is unclear how long he spent in his position as Registrar or when he may have retired.
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Seymour, Frederick

Places in this document

British Columbia

British Honduras

Cariboo Region

Jamaica

Quesnel