838652 Pte. Frederick Clarence Holloway was born in Andover, England, on July 7th, 1890. He and his brother Harry emigrated to Canada, where Frederick settled in Meaford, Ontario, where he worked as a farmer. Harry became a sailor and enlisted in the C.E.F. in 1914.
Frederick followed his brother's example and eventually join the C.E.F. two years later, when the twenty-five year old attested to the 147th Battalion, in Meaford, on January 24th, 1916. He would have been billeted locally until the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in May, to finalize the administration of the unit, just prior to their departure for Camp Niagara later that month. As the conditions in that Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June.
In August of 1916, Fredrick married his fiancé, Eva, thouigh it was noted in the same month that he forfeited five days' pay for being Absent Without Leave.
The unit received their orders to proceed overseas in September. While en-route to Halifax, there was an outbreak of diphtheria and they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain, on November 14th 1916.
On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. Frederick was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on April 21st, 1917.
After the devastating losses at Passchendaele, Frederick received a series of promotions on October 26th that initially saw him appointed as an Acting Sergeant. Serving on through the winter Frederick returned from leave with an illness that appears to have resulted in him relinquishing his rank in April of 1918. He was subsequently posted to the Canadian Labour Pool as a Corporal. He served out the remainder of the war in the labour pool.
838652 Private Frederick Clarence Holloway was struck off strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on April 1st, 1919. Returning to Grey County, Frederick would pass away in 1982 and be laid to rest in Meaford's Lakeview Cemetery.
Biography credit: George Auer, with thanks.