The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

A rare Great War “sub-on-sub” action D.S.M. awarded to Engine Room Artificer 1st Class W. Hudson, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (271688 W. Hudson, E.R.A. 1 Cl., H.M.S. “C. 15”, English Channel, 3 Nov. 1917), good very fine £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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D.S.M. London Gazette 22 February 1918:

‘For services in action with enemy submarines.’

William Hudson was born in Keighley, Yorkshire in June 1877 and entered the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class in July 1904. Advanced to E.R.A. 2nd Class in July 1911, he joined the fledgling submarine branch with an appointment in the depot ship Forth in September of the same year, and in which capacity he was still serving on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914.

He subsequently served in the C. 15 from January 1915 until the end of the War, with occasional time ashore or in depot ships, was advanced to E.R.A. 1st Class in July 1916 and was awarded the D.S.M. for C. 15’s successful “sub-on-sub” encounter with the UC-65 on 3 November 1917. The German Submarine War, by Gibson and Prendergast takes up the story

‘Two days after E.52’s success, one of the British submarines allocated to the Channel Patrol, C. 15, was south of Beachy Head. It was afternoon, and Kapitan Leutnant Klaus Lafrenz, of UC-65, was homeward bound, sighted the British boat. Being anxious to finish his trip, he took the risk of dodging his opponent’s torpedoes. Indeed, just as he was propounding to his second-in-command the doctrine of a quick turn of the helm, he saw the surface air-boil of the expected torpedo. He endeavoured to carry his teaching into effect. The submarine swerved sharply off her course, only to receive, full and square amidships, a hit from the second torpedo. The commanding officer of C. 15 had fired a double bow shot, slightly spread, to hit the enemy whichever way he turned. Five survivors were picked up.’

Lafrenz was among the survivors, though badly bruised; so, too, Leutnant Diedrich Braue, described in C. 15’s captain’s report as ‘a typical middle class Hun. He was brutal to the crew whom he ill-treated and offensive when he was being interrogated.’

Hudson, who was also awarded the French Medaille Militaire (London Gazette 21 June 1918 refers), was demobilised in February 1919.