Major Philip Hamond (1 May 1883 – 29 July 1953) was a decorated British Army 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. He was commissioned in the 4th (Militia) Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, and served in the Second Boer War where he was dangerously wounded at the Battle of Rooiwal in early April 1902. Following the battle, he was mentioned in despatches, and created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (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 in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 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 for England in early June the same year. He rejoined the Norfolk Regiment in 1914. He was awarded the Military Cross in the 1916 Birthday Honours and (as a major), a second DSO in 1918. He was attached to the Tank Corps, 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. On reaching the St Quentin Canal, 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. 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 almost entirely from reclaimed materials retrieved from local properties; much of the timber for the house came