Oh, losing a gun that way must have been very frustrating. Especially one that he had carried with him through combat.
I do not remember if Maurice Holmes was the name mentioned in Cooper's book or not. Somebody around here will have "Cooper on Handguns" and will be able to look it up maybe.
But whether someone can tell us or not, your post is yet another indication that Marines carried personal weapons other than the 1911 Series of pistols -- and the Model 27 seems to have been a popular choice.
Cal