From the Derby Evening Telegraph TWINS JOIN GRENADIERS Major Tells of Depot identity puzzle The 17½ years old twins, Bernard and Robert Hudson, of New Mills, whom a ‘Telegraph’ reporter accompanied at the Depot, Normanton Barracks, Derby, when they first enlisted in October last[1], have just joined the Grenadier Guards and are going on well. This was revealed by Major E. E. Sullivan – Tailour, Officer Commanding the Depot, and Colonel C. R. Britten, Lieut. Colonel Commanding the Grenadier Guards, when speaking at the annual dinner of the Derby Branch of the Grenadier Guards Comrades’ Association at the Assembly Rooms, Derby, on Saturday. Major Sullivan – Tailour, after expressing his admiration of the Guards and their traditions, said that only the previous week he had sent twin brothers from Derby to the Grenadier Guards’ Depot. THE PUZZLE “I only hope that the Officer Commanding the depot does not have the same trouble that I have had. I tried for 14 weeks to distinguish one from the other, and in the end I gave it up as a bad job.” He said. Major Sullivan – Tailour was proposing the toast of “The British Grenadiers” and in responding Colonel Britten said had been doing very well until the day before. Then he had heard that one of them was a quarter on an inch under height, so he had been given orders that he must grow because he wanted to keep him. Col. Britten said that Derby had always been one of the great Grenadier Guards recruiting centres, and it was with regret that on the recommendation of Lt. Col. J Hassell, Recruiting Officer for the North Midlands, he had recently moved the Guards recruiting sergeant from Derby to Leicester. If the move had been recommended by anyone but Col. Hassell he would not have made it but he hoped that the excellent recruiting for the regiment from Derby would still go on, even if the sergeant had gone. RECORD FOR RECRUITING Colonel Britten gave details of the progress of the regiment and said that last month was a record for recruiting. They had 120 men enlisted and were 53 over strength, although he could take another 45 recruits up to the end of March. The height standard of the regiment was 5 feet 10 inches, but the height standard of the King’s Company which was eight men under strength , was 6 feet 2 inches, Colonel Britten added among st laughter that the average height of the men in the King’s Company was 6 feet 3½ inches. Last year, he said, there were ten recruits from Derby for the regiment, compared with 15 the year before, and 33 Derby men were now serving with the regiment. “Those Derby men are doing might well” said Colonel Britten, and he gave details of several N.C.Os. from Derby and their records. JOINED POLICE Speaking of men finding work after they left the regiment, Colonel Britten said that many of them joined the police force, and there were 29 reservists alone in the Derbyshire Police Force, seven of them joining last year. Referring to the excellent work of the Comrades Association, Col. Britten said that in addition to looking after ex-Grenadiers, he knew that while the Association was in existence the regiment would never be lacking in recruits of the best type. The toast of “The Association” was proposed by Col Britten, the response coming from Major General Lord Loch, national president of the Grenadier Guards Association. Lord Loch spoke of the need for more members in the Association and said that the Derby Branch had less members than when he visited it two years ago. MEMBERS RESPONSIBILITY It was necessary for the members themselves to take this matter in hand and see that they got more members into the Branch. The Association, he said, could do practically anything for a man who was “on the rocks” but if men were not going to take the trouble and responsibility of joining, then they deserved to be on the rocks. Lord Loch paid a high tribute to Mr. T. H. Bishop, president of the Derby Branch. “I wish to thank him,” he said, “on behalf of the branch and the Association as a whole, for the splendid work he had done for ex-Grenadiers in the town and county of Derby.” Lord Loch also spoke of the excellent work of Mr. A. E. Crofts, the secretary, and other officials of the Derby Branch. CREDIT TO FORCE In proposing the toast of “The Derby Branch” the Mayor of Derby (Alderman E. E. Poulson) who has for many years been chairman of the Derby Watch Committee, said that the Guardsmen in their police force had always been a credit to the Police of Derby. The Mayor also spoke of the charitable work of the branch, which, he said, dad helped both institutions and individuals. Mr R. Tomlinson, chairman of the Branch responded, and expressed the hope that Mr Bishop would soon return to a better state of health. Lt. Col. J Hassell presided and proposed the toast of “the Patron, H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught” Others at the top table included Mr T. H. Bishop, Captain F. W. Barnett, Captain W. K. Marshall, Mr A. S. Walker, Messrs W. Meakin and A. H Hall of the Chesterfield Branch, Messrs W. Smith, S. C. Bradford, J. Kelly and C. H. Smith. Telegrams of good wishes were read by the chairman from the King and all serving members of the regiment. A programme of light music was provided by the string band of the Grenadier Guards [1] In the Sherwood Forresters
Height? The right flank company of British infantry regiments was the grenadier company. To this day many senior companies of infantry line and foot guards regiments have the march 'British Grenadier' as the company march. Men needed to throw grenades were picked for their build and height. The 'assault soldier' of his day.
Following the advice of the Chief Constable of the Derbyshire Police my Dad Robert Hudson and his twin brother joined the Army enlisting in the Sherwood Forresters at the age of 17½ in September 1937. Their grandfather had been a Police Sergeant at Derby and Belper and their father a Constable at Belper and New Mills. Their father sadly in died in 1928 from a disease contracted through standing in trenches half full of water in World War I and they naturally wanted to follow in their footsteps but the Chief Constable said they were too young and recommended a period of Army service in preparation for police service. After three months in the Sherwood Foresters (Supplementary Reserve) they moved on to the Grenadier Guards in January 1938. After initial training and ceremonial duties in the 2nd Battalion at Wellington Barracks in London and a period as PT Instructor at the Guards Depot, my Dad volunteered to join the 6th Motor Battalion then in the process of formation. He served in South Africa, Egypt and Syria and was seriously wounded in the battles of the Mareth Line. Following on after a very long period of recuperation and a long leave in the UK he went back to the Middle East where he transferred to the CMP in January 1944. After basic training at the CMP Middle East Depot at Almaza he was posted to the SIB Section at Alexandria. It starts like this: – 10 Sep 1937 Attested Supplementary Reserve Infantry Sherwood Forresters 25 Sep 1937 Unit: Depot – Allotted for training 10 Jan 1938 Unit: Depot – Discharged from supplementary reserve (Infantry of the Line) under para. 103(xiii) SR Regulations having enlisted in the Regular Army. 11 Jan 1938 Attested Grenadier Guards 29 Jan 1938 Unit: Joined Depot 4 Feb 1938 Posted 2nd Battalion 5 July 1938 Joined 2nd Battalion 10 Oct 1938 Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal 26 Mar 1939 Appointed paid L/Cpl 1 May 1939 Relinquished pay of appointment on reduction of establishment 12 May 1939 Appointed paid L/Cpl 6 Sep 1939 Transferred to Training Battalion 9 Sept 1939 Promoted Unpaid Acting Corporal Promoted Unpaid Acting Lance Sergeant Promoted Paid Acting Corporal Promoted Unpaid Acting Lance Sergeant 9 Dec 1939 Granted war substantive rank L/Sgt w.e.f. 9.12.39 having held the paid acting rank for three consecutive months. 8 Mar 1940 Transferred to H. Bn as WS/L/Sgt 17 Apr 1940 Appointed Acting Sgt Appointed Paid Acting Sergeant having held the unpaid acting rank for a period of 21 consecutive days w.e.f 17.4.1940 25 Apr 1940 Transferred to R.D.S. (can anyone enlighten me as to what R.D.S. is?) 17.7.1940 Confirmed in War Substantive rank having held the paid acting rank for 3 consecutive months 23.4.1942 Transferred to 6th Battalion
Some more photgraphs from around that time 16, 17 & 18 I've been told are a victory parade in Alexandria
After volunteering to join 6 Battalion he was posted as follows:– South Africa 15 Jun 1942 to 14 Aug 1942 Egypt 15 Aug 1942 to 04 Oct 1942 Syria 05 Oct 1942 to 07 Feb 1943 Egypt 08 Feb 1943 He took part in the Battle of the HORSESHOE 16/17 March but on 24 Mar 1943 he was wounded by a shell fragment, the incident is mentioned in the War Diary, taken by 5 Lt Fld Ambulance to No 3 Casualty Clearing Station. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/brigade-guards/35271-grenadier-guards-unofficial-nominal-roll-army-number-order-5.html Courtesy of Diane, the M.O.'s notes:- The following day a round of shelling brought in two more casualties, Sergeant COX, dead (alleged to be 47 with a son in the Air Force), and Sergeant HUDSON with a bad abdominal wound. Apparently some gunners were moving on the skyline and these shells were directed at them. Unfortunately one struck the top of a palm tree and exploded, wounding these two. Sergeant COX had a few wounds on him, but I think it must have been instantaneous blast that killed him. Oddly enough, we heard no more shelling after that, and I think I am right in saying that this was the last bout of shelling from this part of the MARETH Line. Of course, we did not know this at the time. Treated in 48 and 9 General Hospitals, transferred to 10 CCS, 63 Gen Hospital, 5 & 14 Gen Hosp. Then on 29 Sept 1943 after a long period of recovery he entered the Corps of Military Police Depot for initial Training then posted to S.I.B 16 Area awaiting transfer. Had another spell in hospital in December 1943 and finally completed the transfer in March 1944 1.6.1945 Appointed Unpaid Acting WOII (CSM) Appointed Paid Acting WOII (CSM) He remained in the SIB until being discharged in 1946 Pics are the War Diary and CMP training courses
