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Portrait of David "Charles" Holmes -
Cemetery marker of Charles Holmes who died in Persia (modern Iran) of contaminated drinking water. -
Calling card for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited in London
David “Charles” Holmes was born in Petrolia and signed up to work for the Anglo Persian Oil Company in modern-day Iran in 1916.
Holmes is a great example of just how difficult travel was for International Drillers. In our age of international air travel and instantaneous communication, it is easy to forget just how hard it used to be to travel across the world.
Holmes left Petrolia for Iran on March 23rd, 1916. He first boarded a train from Petrolia to New York. From New York he boarded a trans-Atlantic ship to Liverpool, England. Once in Liverpool he travelled across England by train to board a steamer that would take him across the English Channel to Dieppe, France.
From France he took a ship called the SS Kashmir from Marseille to Malta. He boarded another ship in Malta and sailed to Port Said in Egypt. Once in Egypt he sailed down the Suez Canal to Bombay, India. From India he took a steamer across the Gulf of Oman to Karachi, Pakistan. In Karachi he boarded yet another steamer to Mohammerah in modern-day Iran.
On May 20th, 1916 Holmes reached his final destination of Maidan-i-Naftun – a journey which took nearly two straight months of travel.
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