John Spencer Hodds (1880-1916) of Martham
John is listed on the War Memorial as one of those who gave his life during the First World War.
John was born in 1880 in Martham and was the third of eight children born to Charles Hodds & Elizabeth, nee Utting. He grew up in the family home at 2 Pippins Yard, off Repps Road. Both his parents and grandmother lived at Pippins Yard and he lived with his grandmother there in 1901.
John married Lillie Maud Woolston at St Mary’s on 23rd June 1908. Lillie was normally known as Lilian. They had two children:
- Ruby Grace, who was born on 15th November 1909, &
- John Frederick, who was born on 13th September 1911.
According to the 1911 census they lived at Cess where John was a farm labourer.
John enlisted in the Army at Norwich, joining the 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment as Private 18711. He was killed in action on 22nd April 1916 in Basra, Iraq when he was 35 and has no known grave. He is commemorated on panel 10 of the Basra Memorial, Iraq, as well as Martham War Memorial.
The Basra Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial near Zubayr, Iraq. The memorial commemorates 40,682 Commonwealth forces members who died during the Mesopotamian Campaign, from the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921 and whose graves are not known.
