SS Leibstandarte and Chaplain, The Rev. Reginald Podmore RAChD

Does anyone have any further information on this chap?

111748 Chaplain 4th Class The Rev. Reginald Thompson Podmore, Royal Army Chaplains' Department.

CWGC - Casualty Details


Rev. Podmore is buried in Divion (The only WW2 Casualty in the cememtery) so I think its safe to assume he is buried very close to where he died.

It from what I have read, the Rev Podmore was in the process of collecting some 'kit' in the battle area and as his vehicle travelled through Divion-en-Artois his vehicle received a burst of MG fire which severed his legs. Its thought when the LSSAH approached the vehicle they refused him medical treatment in the hope that he would die so they could not be accused of shooting a man of God

I'd especially like to know what battalion/unit he was attached to and see if there is a mention in the war diary. A picture would be great too !

 

Anyone live near Divion who can photograph his headstone? I still don't know who he was attached to either.

 

Andy,

Try contacting the Museum of Army Chaplaincy. They might have something on him.

Museum of Army Chaplaincy - British Army Website

 

The War Graves Photographic Project

Not the clearest but here's a picture of his headstone.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34768/supplements/150/page.pdf

January 9th 1940 announcement of his appointment as a Chaplain 4th Class.

Cheers
Mark

 

Andy,

Try contacting the Museum of Army Chaplaincy. They might have something on him.

Museum of Army Chaplaincy - British Army Website

Now there's an understatement ! Cheers for the tip

 

Date of Birth 21.11.1940 <error in year>


Podmore, Reginald Thompson


Attended Haileybury School

Educated Keble College, Oxford. BA 1923. Theological Training at Ely Theological College 1926.

Ordained Deacon by Bishop of Knaresborough for Ripon Diocese 1927

Ordained Priest by Bishop of Ripon 1928.

Curate of All Saints, Leeds 1927 – 31

Permission to Officiate, Diocese of Oxford 1931 – 33

Permission to Officiate Diocese of London 1939 – 40

Chaplain to the Forces from 1940

Address : St Edward’s House, 22 Great College Street, London SW1

Joined Royal Army Chaplains’ Department (RAChD) on 8.1.1940 and posted to Eastern Command.

Posted to Southern Command 30.1.1940 attached 3rd Corps, Aldershot Command.

With BEF, April 1940. Attached to 3rd Corps Ammunition Park.

Posted ‘Missing; believed POW’ Casualty List 247

Posted ‘Killed in Action 21/23.5.1940’ Casualty List 500.

 

Haileybury School website http://www.haileybury.com/honour/HAILEYBURY%201939%20-%201940.htm


He also gets a mention on this site: SSJE Sermons Online » From Battle, Murder and Sudden Death

 

The Museum of Army Chaplaincy has a hand written account compiled in 1981 by Mr Bill Priest of Great Yarmouth who served at 3rd Corps HQ Dec 1939 – 1940:

‘Reg Podmore, joined the RAChD in January 1940, his hair already gone grey, his cheeks bright and his eyes gleaming with purpose. At the age of 40 he had left a rather remote sect of the Church of England – the Cowley Fathers – for the rougher world of soldiering, a young’s man’s profession in any age.


His first and only charge was a large transport unit – attached to III Corps – HQs – of some 1200 souls, under the command of Col. Mike Cahill, a veteran of the Great War. The unit’s job was ‘ammunition’, and the loss of some 500 men during the three week’s battles in May 1940 confirmed the old British adage that what soldier’s know about war is seldom worth knowing!

The Spring of 1940 saw the unit scattered in and around a delightful Artois village on the edge of the Bethune coalfield complex. Chaplain Podmore established a small church in one of the rooms off the main hall in the village. Salle de Fetes, opened a canteen for many of his ‘parishioners’ and ran occasional boxing matches.


The interminable phoney war ended abruptly on May 10th and the unit began to make some preparations for the move into Belgium; known euphemistically as Plan ‘D’. For some reason this move was to halted on the Belgium border for several days at a place called Montecourve. It was during the stay at Montecouvre that Padre Podmore asked to be permitted to return to his old HQs in Artois for some supplies he had left there. It was the last time that any of us saw this remarkable man; who had the knack of being both chaplain and friend to all alike.


Whilst he was being driven through the mining village of Divion en Artois, his car was machine-gunned by an advance company of an SS Division.

(A week later SS troops massacred 97 prisoners from the Royal Norfolk Regiment at Le Paradis and 80 Royal Warwickshires at Esquelbecq) The story of the Le Paradis Massacre is told in Cyril Golly’s book ‘The Vengeance of Pte Pooley (Lavenham Press £3.95) and account of the Esquelbecq affair by Revd Les Aitken MBE in his ‘Massacre on the road to Dunkirk, Worhoudt 1940 (W Kimber £4.95).


Chaplain Podmore’s legs were shattered and when the SS realised they had shot a Padre they refused medical assistance and left him to die on the pave. The sight was more than a Frenchman in a nearby house could stand. He carried the Chaplain into his front room where he made him as comfortable as possible. R T Podmore died at about 4.30 on May 22nd, the first Padre to die during the 1939 – 45 War on Active Service.


His vestments and organ were buried in the Frenchman’s garden where they remained until the Liberation of the Pas de Calais, when they were dug up and returned to the Podmore Family in Eastbourne. For giving aid and comfort to the enemy to the SS arrested the Frenchman and his family and they would have been imprisoned but for the fact the person concerned was the chief of the local coalmine whose miners went on strike until their boss was released.


(In spite of numerous enquiries the present writer has been unable to trace the Frenchman concerned) R T Podmore is buried in the tiny hillside cemetery with large slag heaps standing sentinel nearby.


He is the only Britisher buried in the cimitiere communal from the 1939 -45 War, although there are 6 graves from the old Zoos battles of 1915. Twice a year local veterans hold a service at his graveside.’

 

And all that is left for me to say is a massive thank you to Mr David Blake AMA, Curator at the Museum of Army Chaplaincy.


Thank you very much!

Regards
Andy

 

Absolutely fascinating and a brilliant piece of research.

 

Chaplain Podmore’s legs were shattered and when the SS realised they had shot a Padre they refused medical assistance and left him to die on the pave.

It fascinates me. Where does this bit of info come from? I don't believe a word of it without a proper source.This is the type of accusation that you see all the time, but often a half truth or not at all.

Are you really telling me that a bunch of SS studied the wounded and when they identified him as a padre, left the man to rot? "Gott mit uns" (God with us) said the belt-buckle of the German uniform.

Don't get me wrong. I know a story or two on SS atrocities in those days too, but I know more rumours that later proved untrue or half true.

It could well be that the SS men saw a badly shot up man and yet pushed along, being a recce squad that doesn't wanna be held up by an enemy WIA. I could live with that, being an old recce guy myself. But the text strongly suggests that because they identified him as a padre they left him to rot. I disapprove of such a suggestion, since it is not presented with the slightest bit of evidence.

 

The buckle worn by the SS was not the same as the other forces it had no mention of god....
"Meine Ehre heißt Treue"...... My honour is named loyalty
I would not put anythinig past them... they were fighting for a madman and acted so...

 

The buckle worn by the SS was not the same as the other forces it had no mention of god....
"Meine Ehre heißt Treue"...... My honour is named loyalty
I would not put anythinig past them... they were fighting for a madman and acted so...

True, I should have added that one on the buckle for the SS. I stand corrected as to that point.

I appreciate the name and fame of the SS, but this story comes to me as far fetched and pure suggestion. It is so easy to accuse an organisation that is principally under suspicion, but it is not historically just to do so if not a glimpse of evidence is there. Or is it?

 

Was his driver not killed or wounded ? Reading between the lines here, and it is surely based on local French sources, he wasn't left to die because he was a padre (and from his collar, he'd have been clearly recognisable) - being left wounded was the alternative to being finished-off which is what would have been likely with any other wounded.

The fate of his driver might give further clues.

 

Fascinating story, chaps.

 

I have located two press cuttings from the ‘Church Times’ relating to Rev R T Podmore which may be of interest to you.


Church Times of 5th July 1940


War Casualties


The ‘Cowley Evangelist’ states that the S.S.J.E. have had no news of Fr. Podmore and are, of course, extremely anxious about him, but it may still be a considerable time before we can expect to hear whether he is a prisoner in the hands of the Germans or whether he has fallen with the troops he was serving. I am sure he will have prayers for you all.’


Church Times of 8th September 1940


COWLEY FATHER KILLED IN ACTION


Fr R.T. Podmore S.S.J.E.


News that the Rev. Reginald Thompson Podmore was killed in action has been received from his batman who is a prisoner of war. Fr Podmore of the Society of St.John the Evangelist, Cowley, has been reported missing since the withdrawal from Dunkirk. He was educated at Keble College, Oxford, and before join before joining the Cowley Fathers was Vicar of All Souls’ Leeds. After six years at the Mission House, Marston-street, Oxford, fr Podmore was transferred to the London House of the S.S.J.E. At the outbreak of war he joined up , becoming a Chaplain, and was with the B.E.F. in France.


When he was in Oxford, Fr. Podmore was Group Scoutmaster of the 26th Oxford Scouts attached to the Oxford Mission. He instituted the St.John’s Club at the Oxford headquarters and organised an annual camp for the boys’

 

I will be copying the war diary next week in hope that his Batman is listed so I can check if he made a PoW Q.

Many thanks again to David Blake at the Museum of Army Chaplaincy.

 

Or the Society of St John the Evangelist have their own archive, if you fancy a change...

 

he wasn't left to die because he was a padre (and from his collar, he'd have been clearly recognisable) - being left wounded was the alternative to being finished-off which is what would have been likely with any other wounded.


Right, that could well be the case. Although also that is speculation, that the SS men would finish him off if he were no padre.

In fact there wouldn't be much of a story if the SS add-on wasn't there, would there? Besides the fact that a padre was KIA, which is sad in itself, obviously.

 

With BEF, April 1940. Attached to 3rd Corps Ammunition Park.


Why is nothing simple in 1940-There is no such diary in III Corps

These are the nearest and I'll copy them all next week just incase:

WO 167/181 III Corps Ammunition Company
WO 167/182 III Corps 9 Sub-Park
WO 167/183 III Corps 10 Sub-Park
WO 167/184 III Corps 11 Sub-Park