Chandos Hoskyns

Lieutenant Colonel Chandos Benedict Arden Hoskyns (25 September 1895 – 18 June 1940) was a professional soldier with the British Army, serving as part of the Rifle Brigade. He served on the Western Front and Salonika in the First World War. Between the wars, he was posted to India and was a military secretary in Malta. During the Second World War, he commanded a battalion in the siege of Calais, where he was mortally wounded.

Early life Hoskyns was born on 25 September 1895, the only son of the Venerable Archdeacon Benedict Hoskyns MA and Dora Katharine Hoskyns. Between 1909 and 1912 he studied at Winchester College in 'A' house before going on to Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

First World War and inter-war years First World War After completing his studies at Sandhurst, Hoskyns was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) on 15 August 1914 just after the outbreak of the First World War. He trained as a subaltern on the Isle of Sheppey and then sailed to France with the 2nd Battalion. He became a machine gun officer and saw action in 1915, being wounded in the Battle of Loos. In 1917, he was promoted to captain, seeing further service on the Western Front and in Salonika. In Salonika, he served with the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) in its 77th Company. In the same year, Hoskyns was mentioned in dispatches and promoted to the temporary rank of major.

Inter-war years After completing his wartime service, Hoskyns was made adjutant to the 8th Battalion (Territorial Army/TA) of the London Regiment. It was in this period he also saw service in India.

Between 1927 and 1931, Hoskyns served as Assistant Military Secretary to the Governor of Malta. He was a gifted actor and was known for the high standard of his amateur dramatic productions while on Malta:

Besides acting, he was also an enthusiastic polo player.

In 1935, Hoskyns was promoted to major before rising to lieutenant-colonel and was placed in command of the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in 1938.

Hoskyns and his men were at Needham Market in Suffolk when they received their orders to make for Southampton on 21 May. Embarking at Southampton aboard SS Archangel, the battalion arrived at Calais on 23 May. For his part, Hoskyns was resistant to his orders, but due to a radio outage could not communicate his intention to command.