Harold Holmes was the son of a Police Inspector. The family lived in various locations and it appeared that Harold followed the family tradition.
The first record of Harold was playing rugby union with Newtown in 1916. He had the ability to play in the backs and in the forwards, but over time played mostly in the second row or hooker.
He made his transition to rugby league in 1917 with Wests but soon moved on establishing himself as a regular First Grade player with both Souths and Easts in the following years.
