Ross William Hudson (11 November 1920 – 11 April 1945) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with St Kilda. Joining St Kilda during army service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he died from injuries sustained in an accidental grenade explosion whilst serving with the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

in New Guinea.

Family

The son of Albert Arthur Hudson, and Ann Hudson, Ross William Hudson was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 11 November 1920. He married Eileen Maria Coombes on 4 March 1944.

Education

He was educated at Goodwood Central School.

Football

West Adelaide (SANFL)

He played in 68 games and scored 134 goals for the

West Adelaide Football Club West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the club's home base is Richmond Oval (South Australia), Richmond Oval (current ...

from 1937 to 1942, with one of those games played for the "West-Glenelg" (the combined West Adelaide and

Glenelg Football Club Glenelg Football Club is an Australian rules football team, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. The club is known as the "Tigers" (or the "Bays"), and their home ground is ACH Group Stadium (formerly Glenelg Oval), lo ...

) team, on 13 June 1942, in the so-called "Patriotic League" in South Australia, before the Army transferred him to Victoria.

St Kilda (VFL)

Having been transferred to Victoria with the AIF, he played five games for St Kilda in 1942, the first of which was the round 11 match against

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

on 18 July 1942. Selected as nineteenth man, Hudson came on in the second quarter and kicked three goals.

Cricket

He played for cricket for the

Adelaide Cricket Club Adelaide Cricket Club or is a semi-professional cricket club in Adelaide, South Australia. It competes in the South Australian Grade Cricket League, which is administered by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). The Adelaide Cricket C ...

. From the 1936/1937 season to the 1940/1941 season, he "scored 342 runs from 26 innings (three not out) for an average of 14.86 and a top score of 65".

Military service

Employed as a printer at Vardon and Sons Printing Works, he enlisted in the Second AIF in October 1941.

Death

Hudson served as a

lance-corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equiv ...

in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War, and died of injuries sustained — "accidentally killed in a grenade explosion" — while fighting the Japanese, in New Guinea on 11 April 1945. He was buried at the Bomana War Cemetery on 15 April 1945.Died on Active Service: Hudson, ''The (Adelaide) Advertiser'', (Saturday, 21 April 1945), p.14Died on Active Service: Hudson, ''The (Adelaide) Advertiser'', (Monday, 23 April 1945), p.10Died on Active Service: Hudson, ''The (Adelaide) Advertiser'', (Saturday, 28 April 1945), p.14.
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Footnotes

Sources

* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing. * Main, J. & Allen, D., "Hudson, Bill", pp.267-269 in Main, J. & Allen, D., ''Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War'', Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.
Roll of Honour: Lance Corporal Ross William Hudson (SX20394), ''Australian War Memorial''.

Roll of Honour Circular: Lance Corporal Ross William Hudson (SX20394), ''Australian War Memorial Collection''.

External links

*
Bill Hudson, ''australianfootball.com''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, Bill 1920 births 1945 deaths Australian rules footballers from South Australia St Kilda Football Club players West Adelaide Football Club players Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers Burials at Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery