Complex sentence: Holland was born the son of an admiral, and followed his father into the navy, rising through the ranks after service on a number of ships, and serving at the rank of lieutenant on a cruiser at the start of the First World War.
Split into simpler sentences: Holland was born the son of an admiral, and he followed his father into the Navy, rising through the ranks and serving on a number of ships. He was serving at the rank of lieutenant on a cruiser at the start of the First World War.