For scholarship students in London, college life was a permanent struggle against financial hardship. Sixty pounds a year was just not enough to survive on and Arthur Holmes' parents were not in a position to subsidise him financially. While he earned the occasional ten shillings reviewing books for The Times, the cost of living in London was a continual strain, and he was always on the lookout for ways of making money to fund himself and his studies. When halfway through the first year of his geology course Holmes saw an opening advertised for an ‘assistant of the second class in the Department of Minerals’ at the British Museum, he decided to apply and continue his studies part-time.

Appointments to permanent positions at the British Museum were then made by the three Principal Trustees of the Museum who were none other than the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor and the speaker of the House of Commons. Holmes no doubt asked himself what on earth these somewhat inappropriate individuals knew about geology. A candidate had to be nominated by one of these Trustees, get on their ‘list’ – Holmes was on the Archbishop's list – and then

undergo before the Civil Service Commissioners an examination in the following subjects:

1. 1. English Composition

2. 2. Translation from 3 out of the 4 following languages: Latin, French, German and Greek

3. 3. […]