Charles Edward Hudson

Born in Derby on May 29, 1892, Charles Edward Hudson was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Edward Hudson of the Sherwood Foresters. Educated at Sherborne School from 1905 to 1910, he later attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he established a lasting friendship with future Field Marshal Harold Alexander. Financial hardship following his father's death forced Hudson to withdraw from Sandhurst before completing his officer course, leading him to move to Ceylon to work as an apprentice tea planter and participate in early commercial rubber cultivation. While in Ceylon, he maintained his military ties by serving in an independent section of the Ceylon Mounted Rifles.

Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Hudson returned to Great Britain and secured a regular commission in the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) under officer service number 10029. Deployed to the Western Front, his leadership in trench combat led to rapid advancement. On November 25, 1916, while serving as a temporary captain, he was awarded the Military Cross for leading his company with notable initiative to capture two hostile bombing positions. Promoted to temporary major, he received the Distinguished Service Order on August 16, 1917, followed by a Bar to his Military Cross and a Bar to his DSO for tactical command during heavy infantry engagements. His operational conduct was further recognized by five Mentions in Despatches and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

By mid-1918, Hudson held the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel and commanded the 11th (Service) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, transferred to the Italian Front. On June 15, 1918, during the Austro-Hungarian offensive along the San Sisto Ridge near Asiago, concentrated artillery bombardment obliterated the right flank of his battalion's sector, destroying forward positions and inflicting heavy casualties among line officers. Enemy units exploited the breach, penetrating to the support line which formed the key to the British tactical position. Hudson assembled headquarters personnel, including orderlies, servants, and runners, and launched an immediate counter-attack. Advancing up a trench with two soldiers, he confronted the enemy at close range and forced a surrender before clearing the trench system. Despite sustaining severe injuries when an enemy bomb exploded against his foot, he remained in command until the defensive perimeter was re-established, capturing forty prisoners and six machine guns.

His Victoria Cross citation was published in the London Gazette on July 11, 1918:

"For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when his battalion was holding the right front sector during an attack on the British front. The shelling had been very heavy on the right, the trench destroyed, and considerable casualties had occurred, and all the officers on the spot had been killed or wounded. This enabled the enemy to penetrate our front line. The enemy pushed their advance as far as the support line which was the key to our right flank. The situation demanded immediate action. Lieutenant-Colonel Hudson, recognizing the gravity of the position, at once collected various headquarters details, such as orderlies, servants, runners, etc., and led them to the counter-attack. Rushing up the trench with two men, he shouted to the enemy to surrender, some of whom did. He then led the attack down the trench, driving the enemy back, and capturing forty prisoners and six machine-guns. He was severely wounded by a bomb exploding on his foot, but in great pain he continued to direct the attack until the position was made secure. His personal courage and leadership saved a critical situation."

King George V invested Hudson with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on September 18, 1918. Following the Armistice, he joined the Allied intervention in North Russia during the Russian Civil War. Retaining his regular commission during the interwar period, he held various staff appointments and commanded the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, before promotion to brigadier commanding the 2nd Infantry Brigade from 1938 to 1940.

During the Second World War, Hudson commanded the 46th Infantry Division as acting major-general from December 1940 to May 1941, followed by operational commands of the 159th Infantry Brigade and the 182nd Infantry Brigade. Appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on June 11, 1942, and invested as a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, he retired from military service in 1946. He died on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly on April 4, 1959, and was interred at St Mary's Churchyard in Denbury, Devon.