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Born 17 September 1886 ( 1886-09-17 ) London Died 15 June 1942, Atlantic Ocean | ||
Huberht Taylor Hudson (also known as Hubert Hudson) (17 September 1886 – 15 June 1942), was a navigating officer in the British Royal Navy, who took part in Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition to Antarctica.
Hudson joined the expedition whilst a 'mate' within the Royal Navy. He earned himself the nickname of 'Buddha', when the rest of the crew successfully tricked him into dressing-up in little more than a bedsheet for a 'fancy dress' party on the whaling station at South Georgia that was in reality anything but.
During the expedition, Hudson was famed for his ability to catch penguins, which the crew ate as a source of food whilst trapped on the ice. It's also known that towards the end of the expedition, Hudson suffered a severe breakdown of mental morale, possibly due to a massive boil that he developed on his buttocks. His illness caused Frank Wild, the second-in-command, a lot of worry that he would not survive. However, Hudson pulled through and eventually recovered his health.
Upon return from the expedition, Hudson took part in World War I, serving on 'mystery ships'.
He later also took part in World War II as a Royal Navy Reserve Convoy Commodore. Hudson died on 15 June 1942 on convoy HG84 when his ship, the merchant vessel PELAYO, was torpedoed by U552.