Major Philip Hamond (1 May 1883 – 29 July 1953) was a decorated

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer who played a prominent part in the downfall of the Rector of Stiffkey. He later collected Norfolk folk songs.

Military career

He was the eldest son of Charles Annesley and Mary Augusta Hamond, of Twyford Hall,

East Dereham Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40&nb ...

. He was commissioned in the 4th (

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, and served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

where he was dangerously wounded at the

Battle of Rooiwal The Battle of Rooiwal was an engagement of the Second Boer War. It took place on 11 April 1902 and resulted in a victory by a British force commanded by Colonel Robert Kekewich over a Boer commando led by Generals Ferdinandus Jacobus Potgieter ...

in early April 1902. Following the battle, he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, and created a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO), the youngest regular officer - at 18 - to that date to earn a DSO. He was also, on 23 April 1902, commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

, nominated by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa. The commission was cancelled, however, when on 7 May 1902 he instead joined a regular battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. Following the end of hostilities, he left

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

for England in early June the same year. He rejoined the Norfolk Regiment in 1914. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in the

1916 Birthday Honours The 1916 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

and (as a major), a second DSO in 1918. He was attached to the

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

, commanding F battalion at the Battle of Cambrai (1917). Late on the morning of 20 November 1917, his battalion of twelve Mark IV tanks entered the town of

Masnières Masnières () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry History Masnières figured into the 1917 Battle of Cambrai during which time it was briefly captured by the British on the first day of the battle, November 20, an ...

. On reaching the

St Quentin Canal The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second much long ...

, it was found that the only bridge had been partially destroyed by the Germans. F22 Flying Fox II was ordered to attempt to cross but the weight of the tank caused the bridge to collapse further. The crew escaped but the tank blocked the progress of other tanks and cavalry units that were attempting to cross the canal in order to exploit the British breakthrough.

Served with Dwight D. Eisenhower

In 1918 he was sent to the US as British Liaison Officer to teach tank warfare at Camp Colt, Pennsylvania with Major

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. The second award of the DSO was gazetted 31 May 1918.

Family

On 25 August 1909, he married Rita Gladys Ethel Hammond. They leased Morston Hall in 1914. Between 1924 and 1928, he built Scaldbeck House,

Morston Morston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 86 in 42 households at the 2001 census. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 Census and was included in the civ ...

almost entirely from reclaimed materials retrieved from local properties; much of the timber for the house came from a French schooner, ''Guenowle'', which had grounded at Blakeney in August 1921. After Rita's death in 1926, he married Emily Diana Helen Walton (1899-1982) in 1928.

Rector of Stiffkey affair

As a prominent landowner and churchwarden, he clashed with the Rector of Stiffkey-with-Morston,

Harold Davidson Harold Francis Davidson (14 July 1875 – 30 July 1937), generally known as the Rector of Stiffkey, was a Church of England priest who in 1932, after a public scandal, was convicted of immorality by a church court and defrocked. Davidson ...

. In 1930, Davidson missed the

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

service; Hamond was furious and accused the priest of insulting the war dead. His complaints initiated investigations which led to the Rector's trial on charges of immorality and his eventual defrocking in 1932. Hamond was convicted of assault in 1932. After his last service at Stiffkey, Davidson had called at Hamond's house, apparently to ask for a church key, but Hamond refused to speak to him and told him "Clear out, or I'll kick you out!". Hamond then kicked the Rector off the step, stating at the Magistrates' court that it was "a kick of finality and contempt". Hamond also kicked a companion of Davidson, Clinton Gray-Fisk. He was convicted of two counts of assault and fined 20 shillings on each plus the court costs. Hamond was a magistrate on the

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

bench where the case was heard. Local legend states that Hamond received many letters from sympathisers paying part of his fine and that one enclosed a packet of hobnails with a request that he put those into the soles of his boots for next time. He lost his sight in later life. Accompanying himself on the melodeon, he would sing folk songs in a rich

Norfolk accent East Anglian English is a dialect of English spoken in East Anglia, primarily in or before the mid-20th century. East Anglian English has had a very considerable input into modern Estuary English, which has largely replaced it. However, it has r ...

.Billy Lown and Philip Hamond; two North Norfolk singers
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamond, Philip 1883 births 1953 deaths Royal Norfolk Regiment officers Royal Tank Regiment officers People from Stiffkey Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Military Cross People from Dereham Military personnel from Norfolk Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Militia officers