Samuel Tudor Hudson

War Service

The 1st Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regular army battalion and at the outbreak of war in August 1914 the battalion was in Singapore, arriving back in Southampton on 9 November 1914. After a short time in England, they embarked for France landing at Le Havre on 16 January 1915.
During the next few days the battalion made steady progress moving northeast towards the front lines and the advancing German army. On 1 February 1915 the battalion marched towards Ypres. During April and May 1915 Samuel’s battalion was heavily involved in the defence of the Ypres salient, trying to stem the tide of the advancing German army. An entry in the Battalion War Diaries for 1 May 1915 states “Battalion in trenches, A Coy digging on Frezenberg line”.
During the next few days entries in the diaries are minimal giving little detail of the action in which the battalion was involved. However, subsequent entries suggest there was confusion during the defence of the line. Orders were received to pull back to new positions, which were then cancelled. Eventually, on the 4 May 1915, the battalion spent a night in huts west of Ypres. At 7:00pm the following day, they were back in the trenches at Frezenberg. At 11:00pm on the 7 May 1915, Samuel went back into the front line.
Extracts from the Diaries for the 8 May 1915 state:
“Trenches heavily shelled, with high explosive; this was followed by a firearm attack. C and D companies were shelled. Trenches A and B drove back the German attack and withdrew from trenches at night and went to 80th Brigade.”
Losses were substantial and a number of officers were killed.
“Casualties on the 8th
Killed 53,
Wounded 92,
Missing 272.”
The diary continues “Casualties in other ranks from 19.4.15 to 7.5.15:
Killed 34,
Died of wounds 3,
Wounded 112.”
The action on 8 May 1915 became known as “The Battle of Frezenberg Ridge”.
Corporal Samuel Tudor Hudson, aged 24 years, was possibly one of the 272 men originally listed as missing, then later reclassified as killed in action on 8 May 1915, with no known grave.
His parents, John and Eliza, were at their home in Albert Terrace, Altofts when they received the news of Samuel’s death.
Samuel is one of more than 54,000 names remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, who have no known grave.

Family information

Samuel Tudor was born in Warwickshire although his parents John and Eliza Ann Hudson nee Tudor were married in St Mary Magdalene Church, Altofts on 30 January 1889. When Samuel was born in 1891 John and Eliza already had two young children: John aged 2 years and baby Agne just one year old.
There were some dramatic changes in Samuel Tudor’s life during the next decade. Samuel, now aged 10 years old, lived with his mother and younger sister Maud, aged 8 years, at the home of his maternal grandparents Abraham and Sarah Tudor in Warwickshire. Agne or Agnes’ name does not appear on the Census for 1901, and information later confirms the loss of one child of John and Eliza Ann Hudson. At that time John was a miner in lodgings in the Rotherham area.
By 1911 Samuel’s parents John and Eliza had moved back to the Altofts area and were living at 18, Hollings Yard, Normanton, Yorkshire with two more additions to the family: Albert Tudor aged 6 years and 5 year old Bernard Walter. Records show that Albert T. and Bernard W. were both born in Altofts. Sometime after 1911 the family moved back to live in Altofts at 14, Albert Terrace. Samuel’s father, John, worked underground as a “coal miner – hewer”. However, Samuel, now about 20 years old, was not residing at the family home. It is possible that Samuel had already joined the army.

Menin Gate, Ypres