A True Hero

In an age where footballers and other media muppets are often portrayed as 'heroes', here's some information about a truly brave man who died on Sunday.

Professor John Hudson won the George Medal in 1944 and a bar in 1945.

He volunteered with the RE in 1939 and was evacuated from Dunkirk. After attending a 5-day bomb disposal course he was posted to West Yorkshire where he helped disarm 31 bombs in 8 days.

Then he was posted to London, and spent a lot of time working on ways of defusing bombs. German scientists spent a lot of time making this more and more difficult and hazardous, as they realised that the disruption caused by an unexploded bomb was greater than from the exploded ones.

He was defusing a 500kg bomb with a y-fuse (complicated device incorporating batteries and mercury switches), using liquid oxygen to freeze the fuse mechanism, when the line he had been planning to use to withdraw the frozen fuse snapped. He returned to the bomb and twisted the fuse out by hand. George Medal number 1.

The following year he defused the first unexploded V1, which had three fuses, one of which was a new design. George Medal number 2.

Whenever he and his colleagues devised a new defusing method at HQ, they tried it themselves. Twice. They arranged to be wired up to a phone line throughout the operations so they could describe the steps to colleagues, allowing others to know the cause of any explosion they caused during the procedure.

All this from a man who had a diploma in horticulture (army recruiters thought that was scientific enough) and went on to a long and distinguished career in that field after hostilities ended.

 

A very brave man.

 

Wow - massive respect.

RIP fella.

 

A bomb disposal legend who made it a lot easier for those of us who followed.

When you hear thunder in future you will know it's John Hudson 'messing about' in heaven.

REst In Peace disposalier.

 

The passing of a top bloke and the world is now a little poorer.

RIP, John.

 

Incredible.

 

How do you win a bar?? I'd love one

I can't pretend to know anything about bomb disposal, but lots of respect is due in my opinion!

 

Average life expectancy of a Bomb Disposal Officer during the Blitz was around 10 weeks. There was no real course and no real intelligence on enemy fuzes ... everything was trial and error.

 

I guess the five day course went along the lines of 'This is a bomb. Make the rest up as you go along, and tell the others.'!

 

As you said,Grownup_Rafbrat,a true hero.

They don't make them like that anymore.

As for footballers and other media muppets being total mongs,I couldn't agree more.Poofters the lot of them.

RIP Professor John Hudson.

 

A very impressive man. RIP.

 

Respect.
He went on to teach horticulture after demob. Probably never mentioned what he did.

My glass is raised.

 

Will the RE / ATO trade be sending someone down to his funeral or a bearer party?
After all a legend deserves a good send off

 

I can only add my admiration and respect to those who have posted before me.

A brave man - RIP.

 

Too late I fear ...

Professor John Hudson, CBE, MBE (Military), GM and Bar, bomb disposal expert and horticulturalist, was born on July 24, 1910. He died on December 6, 2007, aged 97

But he will be remembered during the REA BD branch meeting on January 18th with a minutes silence as well as all other fallen bomb disposal brothers.