Joseph Henry Poynton
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Army Service Corps
Address: Hastings
Other Info: The text reads: This photograph was taken at Salonika. It shows Sergeant J H Paynton and Lance Corporal W C Dann of the A.S.C. They met in Greece quite unexpectedly. Both were prominent members of the Hastings Parliament before war broke out, Sergeant Paynton being a vigorous champion of working men’s rights, and Lance Corporal Dann a Unionist whip. Other old Parliamentarians in Hastings will wish them good luck and a safe return to their native land.
Full name and spelling provided by Andrew Davis, with thanks.
Published: March 1916
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Just a small detail about Poynton. In 1913 he was 39, a Welshman and a suffragist. His wife ran a lodging house at 139 Marina, where they lived and raised three daughters. In 1911 he was a housepainter, but he later became a Communist and a portrait painter! In 1913 he was walking near the Royal Concert Hall with two lady suffragists and was hit by a bag of flour flung at him by a mob of roughs.
Poynton travelled to Russia then painted portraits of all the great revolution leaders who were his heroes. In the 1930s Poynton was a member of the Hastings Communist Party. (I read all this in the Observer.)
Thank you Helena, that is excellent information. He seems to have been a very interesting character! Kind Regards, Kieron
He continued to support the Russian WW2 effort too, sending antiques to be sold at the Russian Red Cross & Crescent sale. This lead to a letter from Mrs Maisky, the ambassadors wife, thanking him but advising that one item, a painting of Prince Zborowski from 1573 was so significant that they couldn’t sell it but would send it to a Russian museum. Where it is now????