Edwin Holden was born in Darwen, Lancashire, England, but in 1915 was living at 116 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. He was at that time, 27 years old, single and working as a Meat Inspector, the trade to which he would return after the war. He enlisted on 19 November, 1915, and gave as his previous experience three years service with the 3rd Division St John's Ambulance Brigade at Blackpool, England. He was tall for the time, 5'10", with dark hair and blue eyes and was Anglican in his religion. 

On 25th November, he was placed with the Australian Army Medical Corps 10th Depot Battalion at Geelong. From there he was brought up to Royal Park, Carlton on 3 December and did training with the 23rd Depot Battalion and the 19th Depot Battalion. He was made Corporal on 3 December, 1915 and then Sergeant on 13 January 1916. He was still in Australia on 26 July, serving with the 4th Australian General Hospital at the Domain in Sydney, before departing for Egypt on 16 August.

Once in Egypt, Edwin Holden was assigned to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Abbassia, which also had an annex at Port Said. On 26 September, he was in hospital as the result of an ulcer on his left tibia and was discharged to duty at the 14th AGH. He served there until 5 April, 1918, with only two further stints in hospital, on 18 May, 1918, for Pyrexia, disharged to duty on 10 June and on 5 December, 1918, with an iguinal hernia. He could have had this operated on in Egypt, but chose to wear a truss and wait for his return to Australia to treat it.

By April, 1918, the war had been over for six months. Perhaps by then, there was little need for the 14th General Hospital  at Abassia. On 12 April, Edwin Holden left from Port Said for England on board the H.T. Caledonia. on 23 April, he was taken on strength and given a month's leave before reporting to the Australian Army Headquarters at Tewkesbury. He was now part of the Reserve Brigade Australian Army and on 3 May, marched out to the Australian Medical Corps Training Depot at Fovant.

On  29 June, 1919, he boarded the Prinz Hubertus at Glasgow for the return to Australia and once there, was discharged from service on 15 September, 1919. On 21 November, after her return trip from Australia,while at the Royal Albert Dock, London, a fire started in the bunker and spread to the cargo of wheat, copra and and cottonseed she had brought back. The fire caused thee ship to list and was not put out until the 25 November.

Edwin Holden returned to civilian life in Melbourne, and took up his old job as a Meat Inspector, a job he retained for his working life. In 1920, he married Helen Frances Williamson, born in 1894 at Mortlake, Victoria. The couple moved in to 19 Howitt St., Camberwell and lived there for all their married life. Frances died in 1974; Edwin in 1968, aged 79.