We regret to announce that Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Holland, M.P. for Northampton, died last evening at his residence in London at the age of 65. He had been suffering for sometime past from an affection of the lungs.
Arthur Edward Aveling Holland was born on April 13, 1862, the youngest son of Major-General Butcher, R.M.L.I., and grandson of Vice-Admiral Samuel Butcher, of Danesfort Co. Kerry, who served under Lord Howe at the glorious First of June, 1794. He was thus a cousin of the late Professor S.H. Butcher and Lord Danesfort. It was in 1910 that he changed his name to Holland. Joining the Royal Artillery in 1880, he served in the Burmese expedition, 1885-87 and 1887-89, being promoted captain in 1888. From December 1895, to August 1898, he was D.A.A.G., R.A. India, and during that period obtained his majority. Major Butcher served throughout the South African War, 1899 to 1902, being twice mentioned in dispatches. He greatly distinguished himself at Stormberg in command of a battery, and was awarded the D.S.O. From 1903 to 1905 he was Assistant Military Secretary to the Governor of Malta, General Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke, and was created M.V.O. in 1903. He was promoted to colonel in 1910, and was Assistant Military Secretary to the War office from January, 1910, to September, 1912, when he was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. There he was highly successful, his combination of strict discipline and good-natured interest in the cadets being greatly what they appreciated.
When the Great War broke out his one wish was to go to the front, and on September 30, 1914, he was appointed Brigadier-General, R.A., 8th Division (Sir F. Davies’s) which went out to complete Sir H. Rawlinson’s IV Corps. He had foreseen the possibilities of utilising services of expert survey personnel in the direction of artillery fire, and by taking out Major Winterbottom, R.E., and a few N.C.O.s of the Ordnance Survey attached to his command, he was instrumental in laying the foundation of the organization which developed into the flash-spotting, sound-ranging, and artillery survey service covering the front of the British Armies in France. In March, 1915, came the attack on Neuve Chapelle. The artillery arrangements for the preliminary stages of the battle were under Holland’s directions. It was the first occasion on which trench-bombardment, wire-cutting, and protective barrages had been attempted on any scale by the British. Holland’s project for the artillery action in this battle formed the working basis from which the schemes of later days were developed. In July, 1915, he was appointed Brigadier-General, R.A. VII Army Corps. In the following September he was given command of the 1st Division, and was at Loos, but was not successful in that capacity, and his division failed to capture Hulluch.
In June, 1916, Holland, now a substantive major-general was appointed Major-General, R.A. Third Army (Allenby’s). On February 19, 1917, he was given command of I Corps in Plumer’s Army. A position in which he filled with distinction until the Armistice. The Corps was not called upon to take part in any large offensive operations while Holland was in command. But the importance of the front rendered it necessary to make the utmost efforts to perfect the defences. Under his orders a complete defensive system was established, of which the main features were the provision of “defended localities” in place of trench lines, the intimate cooperation of infantry and artillery, and an efficient system of observation and communication. It was largely due to these measures, but even more to the determination inspired in all ranks by his own resolute fighting spirit, that Holland’s Corps not only held every yard of its ground with conspicuous success, but inflicted severe casualties on the Germans during their great offensive in March and April, 1918. He was a most active commander, very young for his years, and made a principle of never leaving the enemy alone. He was promoted to major-general in January, 1916, and to lieutenant-general In January 1919, and created C.B. in 1915, K.C.B. in 1918, and K.C.M.G. in 1919.
Sir Arthur Holland was Unionist candidate for Northampton in 1924, when he achived a remarkable victory, defeating Miss Bondfield (Labour), whi had herself won the seat in 1923 from Mr. McCurdy, the former Food Controller. In the House Holland was particularly known for his interest in Service matters, and was a regular attendant at the Army Committee, where his opinion carried great weight. He married Mary Kate Duval, only daughter of Mr. Lewis Duval Hall, and had one daughter.