William Prout Holman was born in Melbourne. He was educated at Scotch College, situated then at East Melbourne, leaving to go into residence at Ormond College in 1918, where he spent the years of his medical course. At Ormond he led a full life through his academic and clinical years, and had a special interest in the Dramatic Society, with which he regularly performed.

After graduating in 1923, he became a resident medical officer at the then Melbourne Hospital, and after a year he was appointed registrar to the honorary radiologist, Dr LJ Clendinnen. At this time radiology embraced both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In 1925, he commenced radiological practice at Launceston in St Margaret’s Hospital. Times were then troublesome as the BMA had encouraged all medical staff to withdraw their service from public hospitals. By the time of his appointment conditions had quietened, his friend Cliff Craig had been appointed surgeon-superintendent of Launceston Hospital and a new staff recruited.

His work involved mostly diagnostic radiology, but he also was responsible for the therapeutic side. Initially he used a small amount of radium owned by Dr Ramsay. After the purchase of 10 grams of radium for the use of Australian hospitals, a share went to Launceston Hospital, giving Holman a much greater scope for his therapy work. This culminated in the award to him of the Fellowship of the Faculty of Radiologists of London in 1939 for which he wrote a paper on radium therapy in carcinoma of the breast. This Fellowship of the Faculty later became the Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists of London. He had become a foundation Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in the previous year. His work in Tasmania was rewarded by the acquisition of a new deep therapy plant for Launceston in 1937, where he had played a major part in the formation and administration of the Tasmanian Cancer Committee.

In the late 1940s, acting on the advice of Ralston and Edith Paterson of Manchester Radium Institute, the Melbourne Anti-Cancer Council agreed that Victoria and Tasmania should share in one general organisation for radiotherapy, and that Holman should come to Melbourne and be responsible for Tasmania. He was appointed assistant medical director to the newly formed Cancer Institute Board, which had organised multiple Peter MacCallum Clinics throughout the two states, including two units in Tasmania serviced by Holman. In 1954 on the retirement of Dr Kaye Scott, Holman was appointed medical director of the Cancer Institute Board and he continued in this position for the next fifteen years.

The Australasian College of Radiologists had its foundation in 1934 as the Australian and New Zealand Association of Radiology, later to become the Royal Australasian College of Radiologists. Holman was a foundation Fellow of the College and became its president in 1950.

His family life meant much to him, and he watched the progress of his daughters to adulthood with much pleasure. His eldest daughter Mollie, established a fine reputation in physiology in the medical schools of Melbourne and Monash.

Holman was always interested in medical politics, and was a president of the Tasmanian branch of the BMA. He was detailed for home service during the War with the rank of major. On coming to Melbourne he was appointed honorary radiotherapist to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Women’s Hospital, and the Austin Hospital. He was greatly respected by his colleagues at the Peter MacCallum Clinic in Melbourne, and by his wide circle of friends.