Hugo Chomondeley Arnold, 2nd Lieutenant, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Hugo Chomondeley Arnold was not a member of College or University, but came to Jesus during the war for training with the OTC after attending Haileybury College.
Born: Barrow, Cheshire on 15 August 1897
Died of wounds received in action: 12 June 1917
The cadets were billeted in Chapel Court and in K and L staircases and brought a much-needed youthful presence to the College, indulging in concerts, theatricals and sports in the same way that the absent undergraduates would have done. A full account of this time “The College in War Time” appeared in Chanticlere after the War. In it, Arthur Gray recalls:
”The Jesus cadets won the [headship of the river] not less than six times, which, with other things made these Jesus men (who could deny them the name?) extraordinarily proud and boastful of their College”. Poignantly he goes on: “And wonderful tales of their Jesus days they will have to tell the generation that comes after them”.
That was not to be for Hugo Arnold. After his training he gained a commission to the East Kent Regiment on 23 November 1916 and just over 6 months later, at the age of just 19 years he was dead.
Upon his death in June 1917 his Commanding Officer wrote “He was so bright and cheerful and it was never too much trouble for him to do anything. In fact he seemed to take pleasure in doing things for other people and if there was anything doing he was always of the first to volunteer.” (Jesus College Cambridge Society Annual Report, p20). Hugo's father, Henry A. Arnold was a member of Jesus College (1882) and presumably supplied details for the full obituary that appeared in the 1919 Annual Report. We have no other information about individual cadets.
Hugo is buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery.
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