Major Denys Huntingford HAMMONDS DSO MC
225th (Stockton-on-Tees) Field Company, Royal Engineers

Date of birth: 13th October 1888
Date of death: 30th March 1918

Killed in action aged 29
Commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial Panels 10-13
He was born at Battersea in South London on the 13th of October 1888, the son of the Reverend Prebendary Edwin Hammonds BA, Vice Principal to St John's Training College Battersea, and Margaret (nee Downes), later of 37 North Street, Chichester in Sussex.

He was educated at Holyrood House Preparatory School in Bognor Regis, and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1902 to July 1906. While he was there he was a member of the Gym Pair in 1905 and 1906 which represented the school in the Public Schools competition at Aldershot. On leaving school he was awarded the OKS Gift and went on to the Central Technical College in Kensington and then to London University where he obtained a 2nd Class Honours Bsc (Engineering) in 1910.

He was commissioned as a probationary 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers (Special Reserve of Officers) on the 8th of January 1910. He commenced training on the 1st of February and completed his probationary period on the 31st of January 1911. He was posted to the 57th Field Company. On the 6th of October 1911 he embarked for India where he went to work as an assistant engineer for the Indian Public Works Department, Indian State Railways based at Rangiya in Assam.

On the 5th of August 1914 he was mobilised and promoted to Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers (Special Reserve). On the 23rd of September 1915 he was promoted to Temporary Captain and was serving in the 54th Field Company part of 7th Division when he won the Military Cross during operations near Vermelles.

His citation for the medal appeared in the London Gazette of the 4th of November 1915 and read-:

"For conspicuous gallantry and ability during operations near Vermelles. On the night if the 26th/27th of September, he laid out 350 yards of trench under constant fire, and showed great skill in distributing the working party. On the nights of the 25th/26th and the 26th/27th of September he carried out wiring under rifle and shell fire on portions of the captured front. His through knowledge of his work has minimized the losses of his men, and he has set an excellent example through his personal bravery."

He was promoted to Acting Major on the 30th of November 1916 when he was in command of the 225th Field Company and was promoted to Captain on the 26th of June 1917.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the King’s New Year’s Honours List of the 1st of January 1918 and was mentioned in despatches several times.

On the 21st of March 1918 the Germans launched their long expected spring offensive, breaching the British front lines and driving the allies back a number of miles. At noon that day the 225th Field Company, Royal Engineers moved to the village of Haut Allaines to the north of St Quentin, where they spent the rest of the day digging a switch trench and building huts for the Tank Corps. On the 23rd of March they were forced to fall back in the face of the continuing German advance, during the course of which they lost all their wagons and equipment other than four tool carts. The following day they took up positions at Dompierre from where they strengthened trench positions near the village of Herbecourt. They continued to fall back in the face of the German advance and on the 28th of March they marched to Gentelles where they entered front line trenches to the south east of La Motte-en-Santerre the following day in an infantry role. At 9am on the morning of the 30th of March 1918 they received orders to carry out a counterattack towards the village of Marcelcave. The Germans were thought to be three hundred yards away over the crest of a hill but as the Company arrived at the top of the crest, with bayonets fixed, they realised that the enemy were dug in much further back. As they soon as they were spotted on the horizon they came under heavy fire and Denys Hammond was killed. Their casualties during the day were one officer killed with one wounded and two other ranks killed with seventeen wounded and two men wounded and missing.

His father received the following telegram: -

"Deeply regret Major D.H. Hammonds DSO MC RE 225 Field Coy. killed in action thirtieth. The Army Council express sympathy."

He is commemorated on the Holyrood House memorial in St Winifred’s Lady Chapel, Bognor Regis, at Bishop Otter College (now part of the University of Chichester) and on the war memorial at Chichester.
 

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