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Updated 19/0/2007.
You'll find below details of the military service of a variety of Jacombs over the last 300 years. Not all Jacombs who have served are currently listed, but expect this to change! Military records by era. If anyone has any information on the military service of any Jacomb/Jacombs/Jacombe/Jacom/Jacomb-Hood I would be very pleased to include the details here.

18th Century

A Robert Jacomb from Walton, Leicestershire enlisted in the 2nd (Queens) Dragoon Guards on 22/02/1793, aged 25, and served for 21 years 193 days until 11/07/1814 when he was discharged as a "consequence of being worn out from Chronic Rheumatism". On his discharge he is described as being "about 46 Years of Age, is 5 Feet 8 inches in height, l[ight]t. brown Hair, Grey eyes, Fair Complexion, by Trade a Taylor [sic]." (Discharge papers TNA ref. WO 97/72/4). See also the Kimcote and Walton page.

19th Century

Samuel Jacombs
Born in Ratley, Samuel served in the 39th Foot Regiment. He was discharged due to ill health, aged 35, between 1809 and 1823. (Discharge papers TNA ref.WO 97/554/74)

John Jacombs
Born in Sligo, John served in the 39th Foot Regiment. He was discharged after he lost his right eye due to opthalmia, aged 23, between 1842 and 1851. (Discharge papers TNA ref. WO 97/554/73)

Henry Jacombs
Served in the 2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry, part of the Indian Army. He was discharged between 1859 and 1861. (Discharge papers British Library India Office ref. IOR/L/MIL/10/304/930-32)

Philip Henry Jacomb (b.1851) Sergeant in Royal Marines Artillery.
Philip was born in Bethnal Green, London in January 1851. He enlisted in the Royal Marines in January 1874, rising through the ranks of Private, Gunner, Bombardier and Corporal to become Sergeant in April 1885. He served for 17 years and on ships such as HMS Superb, HMS Gorgon and HMS Iron Duke, before being invalided out in May 1891. Philip earned four good conduct badges and for service in the Nile he received the Egypt Medal with Alexandria clasp, and the Khedive's Star. He married in 1880. (Service record TNA ref. ADM 159/21 877).

Humphrey Benson Jacomb CBE, Captain in Royal Navy.
Humphrey was Midshipman in January 1909 and Captain in December 1933. An article in The Times in 1938 summarises his naval service: "He served during the [First World] War in the cruiser DUBLIN in the Mediterranean, and at the Dardanelles; was second-in-command of the destroyer OBEDIENT at Jutland; and from March 1917, commanded patrol boat P.37, and the destroyers LIBERTY and AMBUSCADE. His last Admiralty service was in the Navigation Branch in 1930-31." He was made Captain in December 1933. Later he moved to the Naval Reserve and in April 1938 took up the post of Naval Assistant to the Admiral Commanding Reserves. He held the rank of acting Rear Admiral on several occasions. Humphrey was awarded the CBE in 1943. (Source: The Times 07/04/1938, p.25, col.G. Service record TNA ref. ADM 196/53 133, ADM 196/57)

Boer War: In 1899 British troops took action against the Boer forces in South Africa in the Second Boer War (following the First Boer War during 1880-1881). At least 2 Jacombs were among the British forces:

• John Jacomb (1882-1972) Corporal in Essex Regt.
  John was born in June 1882 in Hoxton, London. Aged 17 years 10 months he signed up for a six-year stint in the militia in April 1899. He joined up to ‘A’ Company of the 3rd Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment as a Private, being embodied on 11th December the same year. Between 1899 and 1902 John served in the Boer war in South Africa in Cape Colony and the Transvaal. During this time he transferred to the 3rd Battalion Essex Regiment and was promoted to the rank of Corporal. He was disembodied in October 1902. John received the Queen' South Africa Medal accompanied by the Cape Colony, Transvaal and South Africa 1902 clasps.
  In December 1902 John signed up for a three-year short-service with the Army Service Corps as a Driver, based in Aldershot. Subsequently John was transferred to ‘A’ Reserve on 11th December 1905. He was recalled into military service in 1914 with the outbreak of WW1, serving through to 1919. For his WW1 service John received the 1914 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. (Service record TNA ref. WO 363/J297, 0476-0531)
• William Arnold Jacomb (1877-1914) Lieutenant in Essex Regt.
  For his service during the Boer War, William was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with four clasps (Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, and Transvaal) and the King's South Africa medal with two clasps. His medals were sold at auction in April 2005, the catalogue summarising William's service: "[He] entered the Essex Regiment from Militia as Second Lieutenant May 1898, and Lieutenant February 1900; served in South Africa, 1899-1902 and was present in the operations around Colesburg January 1900 in the Orange Free State including Poplar Grove, Vet and Zand Rivers and those in the Transvaal 30.11.1900-31.5.1902; Captain 1905; died at Beddington, Surrey." (Source: Spink)

20th Century

WW1: Service records are held by The National Archives and can be examined at the National Archives in Kew. A partial list of Jacomb service records available there can be seen on the WW1 Records page.

A Jacombs/Jacomb-Hood incident worthy of note occurred during WW1. Frederick Jacombs, serving with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, was seen by a medical officer at Shoreham Camp - one Charles L. Jacomb-Hood. Did they have opportunity to pass comment on the similarity of their surnames or find out a bit about each other? We'll probably never know. (Frederick Jacombs' service record TNA WO 364/1886)

WW2: Service records are still held by the personnel departments of the armed forces and are not available to the general public for research. Requests for information from individual records are possible (for a fee) by the individual themself or by their next-of-kin.
 

Records: (as of 21/06/2006)

WW1 Jacomb Casualties
WW1 Jacomb Medal Entitlement Records in the National Archives (index)
WW1 Jacomb Military Service Records in the National Archives (index)

WW2 Jacomb Casualties