Hugh Poyntz

Hugh Stainton Poyntz (17 September 1877 – 22 June 1955) was a career soldier who played first-class cricket for Somerset between 1904 and 1921. He also played three matches for Orange Free State in 1912–13. He was born at Nottingham and died at Harestock, Hampshire. Family and background Poyntz was the sixth child and second son of a military family. His father was a major in the Royal Marines Light Infantry who later became the Chief Constable of Essex. His younger brother was Massey Poyntz, who captained Somerset at cricket in 1913 and 1914. Military career Hugh Poyntz was educated at Eastbourne College and went straight from there into the Army, joining the third battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (the battalion was the former Derbyshire Regiment) in 1896. In 1899 he transferred to the Bedfordshire Regiment, where his elder brother Henry was also an officer. He was to remain as a serving officer for 37 years until his retirement in 1936. Poyntz saw service in the Boer War and in April 1900 was promoted from second lieutenant to be a full lieutenant. He was further promoted to captain in 1907. By the time of the First World War, Poyntz was already a major and he was promoted to be a temporary lieutenant-colonel in November 1915. This promotion lasted only until January 1916. There were further temporary promotions in 1917 and 1918 until Poyntz became a full lieutenant-colonel at the beginning of 1921. By this time, he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order and had been mentioned twice in dispatches.