Family :

Education & Career :

Scholar of Rugby and Trinity College, Oxford. A cadet at the Oxford University, Senior Division, Officers Training Corps. Returned to Rugby as a master, probably between October 1910 and March 1911. Second Lieutenant in the Rugby School Contingent, Junior Division, Officers Training Corps, from 31-3-1911. promoted Lieutenant, 13-7-1913.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Accidents were a minor factor in the casualty list. Our definition is deaths resulting from activities that were not directly associated with 'active service'. We have excluded Naval Accidents which are seperately identified because of their numbers and impact. Many accidents involved the aviators, operating at the the limits of technology.

Detail :

Commissioned as a Temporary Second Lieutenant on 22nd September 1914, Gazetted 22nd September 1914. An Officer in the Northamptonshire Regiment, from September 1914 Belonged to a battalion under an OR (Old Rugbeian) {George Eustace Ripley, C.O. of the 6th Northamptons from a couple of days after its creation} * Promoted to Temporary Lieutenant, c. October 1914. Promoted to Temporary Captain of the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment on 22nd November 1914, Gazetted 7th December 1914. Embarked to France in July 1915 as a Captain with the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment. * Battalion occupies quiet sector at Fricourt/Carnoy near Albert on the Somme from August 1915 to May 1916. Awarded the D.S.O. Gazetted, 31st May 1916 For conspicuous gallantry and ability during a night attack by the enemy. It was largely due to Captain Podmore that his company held its own in spite of very heavy bombardment, and repelled every attack. Mentioned in despatches as a temporary Captain of the Northamptonshire Regiment (operations between 19-12-1915 and 19-5-1916), Gazetted 15th June 1916. Assault on Pommiers Redoubt (battalion in close support role), 1st July 1916. Assault on Trones Wood (main assault battalion role), 14th July 1916. Wounded at Trones Wood. Temporary Major, Northamptonshire Regiment, Gazetted 11th October 1916, effective from 15th July 1916. (Note that there is a 3 month gap between the Gazette date and the date that the promotion was effective from. This may denote either the filling of a vacancy. Major G M Clark was KIA 14-7-1916, and Lt Col G E Ripley had been permanent crippled (and died a few days lafter the Gazette date), the 2nd-in-Command, Major S H Charrington, having assumed command after Lt Col Ripley was wounded on 26-9-1916). Alternatively, it may have been for service in the Field. Or a bit of both... Assault on Thiepval (battalion in support role), 26th September 1916. Mentioned in despatches as a temporary Major of the Northamptonshire Regiment (operations between 19-5-1915 and 18-11-1916), Gazetted 4th January 1917. Battle of Boom Ravine (right assaulting battalion), 17th February 1917. Engagement at Croissilles (battalion part of scouting spearhead probing the Hindenburg Line), 20th March 1917. Attack on the Hindenburg Line at Cherisy (support battalion in a.m., primary role in second attack in p.m.), 3rd May 1917. Mentioned in despatches as a temporary Major of the Northamptonshire Regiment (operations between 18-11-1916 and 31-5-1917), Gazetted 25th May 1917. Battle at Glencourse Wood, 3rd Ypres, 10th August 1917. Wounded in August 1917 Returned to France in December 1917 Acting Lieutenant Colonel, 12th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Accidentally Killed by an explosion of ammunition on 31st December 1917. Source; GWF-http://www.1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t84095-50.html

Rugby Family History Group
"CAPT H PODMORE AWARDED THE D.S.O.
Rugbeians, past and present, will welcome the announcement which has been made this week that Capt H Podmore, O.R, an assistant master at Rugby School, has been awarded the D.S.O. for conspicuous gallantry in the field. The news was received in a letter from Lieut-Col W T Wyndowe, commanding the 6th Battalion Northants Regt, and which reads : “ We have just got the news that Capt Podmore has got the D.S.O for gallantry and devotion to duty on the morning of the 13th April, when his company, after enduring an intense bombardment, repulsed a raid that the enemy attempted on our front line. Though he had only one, the young officer doing duty with the company, they stuck to their parapets like heroes, inspired by the coolness and entire disregard of danger of their commander.” A really good fast bowler, Capt Podmore frequently assisted the Rugby Cricket Club some two or three seasons ago. His father was a fine Rugby football player, and represented Oxford v Cambridge in the first Rugby match between the Varsities."

Probate PODMORE Hubert of 9 Horton-crescent Rugby Warwickshire died 31 December 1917 in Belgium on active service Administration London 3 May to George Podmore schoolmaster. Effects £1512 4s. 11d.

Buried at HARINGHE (BANDAGHEM) MILITARY CEMETERY. Grave reference : I.C7. Remembered at a memorial service at St Paul's Church, Grange, on Thursday 10th January, 1918.

Masonic :

Listed as 24 year old Schoolmaster from Rugby at the time of his initiation in 1912.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley