Martin Webber Holdom, 1884-1972, was born in Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England. He received a BA from Oxford, then was ordained an Anglican priest in 1907. He was inspired by Bishop Cyprian Pinkham of Calgary, Alberta during the Bishop's tour of England, and decided to move to Canada. In 1909 he arrived in Castor, Alberta and took up his post as the priest of All Saints Anglican Church. His parish covered 1600 square miles. In 1914 he married Aldah Winnifred Bryans, ?-1981, and they had two children, Mary (Neil), 1917-1978, and Frances (Kohn), 1920- .

He subsequently served as rector in Mirror, 1914-1919, and briefly in Okotoks and High River. In 1920 he moved to British Columbia where he served in Surrey until 1925 and Chilliwack until 1937. He was Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver from 1929 to 1943, and Honorary Canon of New Westminster from 1943 to 1949. He died in North Vancouver.

For further information see A Preacher's Frontier : The Castor, Alberta Letters of Rev. Martin W. Holdom, 1909-1912 / edited and with introd. by Paul Voisey. -- Calgary : Alberta Records Publication Board [and] Historical Society of Alberta, 1996.