The late Richard Holmes
Standing by Hougoumont's North Gate
May 2007
Standing by Hougoumont's North Gate
May 2007
Professor Richard Holmes CBE
It was with shock and deepest sadness that members of Project Hougoumont heard of the death of our Chairman, Professor Richard Holmes CBE, on April 30th.
As well as a meticulous scholar, Richard was a true enthusiast in the field of military history. In pursuit of understanding the plight of the 'ordinary soldier' who fought from the 17th through to the 21st centuries he researched and wrote more than twenty books, lectured with infectious spontaneity to military buffs and students throughout Britain and abroad, and narrated seven BBC documentary series.
It was always wonderful to be in his company. His wit and humour superimposed on his encyclopaedic knowledge of history made him a man for all seasons. His skill at telling the soldier’s story on a battlefield sometimes from the saddle of his faithful horse, “Thatch” was his stock in trade, bringing with it the human element which either made one laugh or cry. Over twenty years either at Camberley or Shrivenham he educated all the budding Generals of the Armed Forces and they were indeed fortunate to sit at his feet and learn the value of history.
Richard had a passionate interest in Waterloo and Wellington, being a biographer of the latter. He was thus a prime figure in all the associated organisations revolving around the bicentenary. He was a founding member of Waterloo 200 and as Chairman of Project Hougoumont Richard shared his deep concern for the renovation of Hougoumont Farm at Waterloo, and decisively steered our Committee towards saving it from dereliction. Richard’s arrival at committee meetings always gave us a happy start. His self-deprecating banter, snippets of tales of soldiers past and present, practicality and enthusiasm, made the most challenging tasks look easy. He generously offered his services as a lecturer, an intermediary or a link with other charities, and left it to his aide-de-camp, Steph, to fit all of his promises into the ‘Prof’s diary’. He was generous, too generous, with his time and raised several hundreds of thousand pounds in the name of charity.
Richard was always an active soldier. As an undergraduate at Cambridge he joined the Essex Yeomanry as a territorial soldier and later, as a regular army officer, rose to command the 2nd Bn Wessex Regiment (what he rather deprecatingly referred to as 2 Shock Wessex), finally promoted to Brigadier. From 1999 to 2007 he was Colonel of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. His many honours and awards attest to his distinguished service through a long and illustrious career. In his spare time, Richard acted as a Justice of the Peace! He will be sorely missed, and our deepest sympathy goes to Lizzie, his widow and his family from the members of Project Hougoumont.
It was with shock and deepest sadness that members of Project Hougoumont heard of the death of our Chairman, Professor Richard Holmes CBE, on April 30th.
As well as a meticulous scholar, Richard was a true enthusiast in the field of military history. In pursuit of understanding the plight of the 'ordinary soldier' who fought from the 17th through to the 21st centuries he researched and wrote more than twenty books, lectured with infectious spontaneity to military buffs and students throughout Britain and abroad, and narrated seven BBC documentary series.
It was always wonderful to be in his company. His wit and humour superimposed on his encyclopaedic knowledge of history made him a man for all seasons. His skill at telling the soldier’s story on a battlefield sometimes from the saddle of his faithful horse, “Thatch” was his stock in trade, bringing with it the human element which either made one laugh or cry. Over twenty years either at Camberley or Shrivenham he educated all the budding Generals of the Armed Forces and they were indeed fortunate to sit at his feet and learn the value of history.
Richard had a passionate interest in Waterloo and Wellington, being a biographer of the latter. He was thus a prime figure in all the associated organisations revolving around the bicentenary. He was a founding member of Waterloo 200 and as Chairman of Project Hougoumont Richard shared his deep concern for the renovation of Hougoumont Farm at Waterloo, and decisively steered our Committee towards saving it from dereliction. Richard’s arrival at committee meetings always gave us a happy start. His self-deprecating banter, snippets of tales of soldiers past and present, practicality and enthusiasm, made the most challenging tasks look easy. He generously offered his services as a lecturer, an intermediary or a link with other charities, and left it to his aide-de-camp, Steph, to fit all of his promises into the ‘Prof’s diary’. He was generous, too generous, with his time and raised several hundreds of thousand pounds in the name of charity.
Richard was always an active soldier. As an undergraduate at Cambridge he joined the Essex Yeomanry as a territorial soldier and later, as a regular army officer, rose to command the 2nd Bn Wessex Regiment (what he rather deprecatingly referred to as 2 Shock Wessex), finally promoted to Brigadier. From 1999 to 2007 he was Colonel of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. His many honours and awards attest to his distinguished service through a long and illustrious career. In his spare time, Richard acted as a Justice of the Peace! He will be sorely missed, and our deepest sympathy goes to Lizzie, his widow and his family from the members of Project Hougoumont.
How you can save Hougoumont
You can do so by either
enlisting as one of
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Chosen Men, or by making
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Hougoumont today...
ENLIST HERE
DONATE HERE
You can do so by either
enlisting as one of
Project Hougoumont's
Chosen Men, or by making
a donation to Project
Hougoumont today...
ENLIST HERE
DONATE HERE
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