Born in Toronto, Geoffrey Holmes was a student at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario when the First World War broke out. He immediately enlisted in the British Army and served with these forces throughout the war. After the war ended he returned to Canada and completed his studies at the Royal Military College before once again travelling across the Atlantic to England.
A star in multiple sports during his college days, Holmes was captain of the British Army’s ice hockey team and as such was a natural choice for Great Britain’s first Olympic team. He played some part in 4 of the 5 games the British team played and scored his only Olympic goal in the 19-3 rout of Belgium. Soon afterwards Holmes, who had become a devout Christian during the war, left his army career and ice hockey behind to become a missionary in East Africa. He ran an Anglican mission near Kabele, Rwanda for many years and was latterly ordained as a vicar.
Great Britain