LIEUTENANT ATHOL HUDSON

Nelson Evening Mail, 15 September 1916, Page 7

LIEUTENANT ATHOL HUDSON

HOW HE MET HIS DEATH. A NELSONIAN'S LETTER. Mrs Hudson, of Tapawera. has received from Lieutenant Cyril M. Bout a letter detailing the circumstances under which her son, Lieutenant Athol Hudson, met his death in France. Lieutenant Rout says : "We were both in the same battalion, and as old- Nelson boys and Waitaki schoolfellows, had a great deal rnc ommon. I saw a fair amount of him in and out of the trenches. His loss is felt by us all, as he was carrying out the important work of sniping and intelligence officer. His keenness and energy in making a success of his 'job,' as we call it, was recognised and appreciated by his commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. Austin. We who knew him best at times feared for his safety, so great was his coolness and contempt of danger. "His death was instantaneous, so he therefore suffered no pain. He was endeavouring to "obtain all important information for a raid, we were making. To obtain this he made his way with two of his i>wn men through the long grass up to* the German wire entanglements. He lay at full length gazing at the German parapet so near at hand. With a whisper and a slight movement he handed the glasses to bis corporal alongside him, savins:, 'I can see three Germans there.' A few seconds later he was hit, no doubt 'by a sniper, death being, as I stated, instantaneous. His two men endeavoured to bring in his body, but had to abandon until nightfall the attempt, on account of the fire opened on the small party. We mourn the loss of a brave man, and only hope that if death should come to us we would be a.'ble to leave behind such a record of duty and fearlessness as Athol did."