Prior to Captain G. W. Holmes' work in the colony of
British Columbia, he was educated at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. In the early to mid
1860s, Holmes was in the colony working as, originally, a Police Magistrate and Private
Secretary to
Governor Seymour. By
1864, Holmes was the Acting Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and a member of the
Royal Artillery (R.A). 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.
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. He was consequently accused of
intemperate habits
-- creating a hesitance in the people of
Honduras to have him as their secretary. 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. 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.