CHANGED ROLE

Evening Star, Issue 25699, 24 January 1946, Page 4

CHANGED ROLE

BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERT TO SPEAK ON HORTICULTURE Major John P. Hudson, George Medal and bar, M.8.E., B.Sc, formerly of the Royal Engineers, and recently appointed by the New Zealand Government as horticulturist to the Department of Agriculture, has consented to give an address in Dunedin on March 28 linger the auspices of the . JDunedin Amenities Society.!' Major Hudson's subject will be 'Gardening in War-time England.' Major Hudson received the M.B.E. in 1942 for dealing with time bombs at Bristol and ' Canterbury, the Georg* Medal in 1943 for disposing of a new type of booby trap dropped by the Germans on London, and a bar to the Geprge Medal in 1944 for dismantling the nrst unexploded Germany flying bomb to fall in Great Britain. Major Hudson was an n.c.o. in charge of a beach embarkation party at Dunkirk, and throughout the war period showed conspicuous gallantry in carrying out worlk of an extremely ' hazardous nature. To the ears of men returned from Bomber Command duties with the R.A.F., " gardening " in relation to bombs has a familiar sound. It was the term given to the sowing of mines in enemy waters.. At the beginning of things it was regarded^as a "setup," and was commonly given to crews under training,, or at the beginning of operational experience. Later on it became extremely hazardous, and the task was allotted only to those, crews who had lengthy experience with "'H2S/' the latest and most complicated of radar navigational aids. In the raid on Kiel, for' instance, which saw the Admiral Scheer sunk, while ordinary bombers ' were - doing their work 'overhead, " gardening ,r crews were dosing the entrance to the' harbour with their deadly seed. .However, in view of Major Hudson « peace-time occupation, it can be safely forecast that this is not the kind of gardening to which h© will allude.